Bahrain’s annual showcase for the construction (gulfBID), interiors (gulfInteriors) and the property (Gulf Property Show) - also known as '3Gs' - have set new records for both visitor turnout and business opportunities this year.

The trio of exhibitions are held annually under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and takes place at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. This year the mega event was held from April 26 to 28.

The GCC’s annual showcase of leading companies for the construction, interior design and real estate sectors, was visited by 8064 unique visitors, thus registering an increase of 11 per cent over the previous year, said a statement from the organiser, Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE).

“Our vision for the exhibitions is to promote the GCC’s capacity across the construction, interiors and real-estate sector. This regional economic vision is due in no small part to the support and patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain," remarked remarked Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of HCE.

“The success of our exhibitions in 2016 is also thanks to the efforts of our 144 exhibitors to deliver a world-class event. We partner with our exhibitors to jointly develop a platform to launch and promote new products, services and projects," he added.

The ‘one-stop-shop’ concept offering individuals and procurement personnel the chance to buy property, source construction materials and services and select interior décor products all under one roof is proving to be very popular, stated exhibition director, Ahmed Suleiman.

The exhibitions have increased in size during 2016, with gulfInteriors leading the way registering a 30 per cent increase, Gulf Property Show with 15 per cent jump and gulfBID by nine per cent.

The 2016 Exhibitions also attracted an impressive line-up of sponsors, stated HCE.

The gulfBID was supported by Haji Hassan and KMC Contracting, while Gulf Property Show was backed by Diyar Al Muharraq and Manara Developments and gulfInteriors had the support of Hempel Paints and KMC Building Materials.

"The '3Gs' attracted over 200 visitors for each hour that they were opened for business providing a continuous footfall for the all of the exhibitors to prosper from. We have already received enquiries and interests on bookings for next year’s show from both exhibitors and visitors who will be using the shows as a major part of their marketing campaign for 2017,” stated Suleiman.

HCE is also working towards the launching of its virtual exhibitions during the summer months, whereby each show will feature a virtual expo that includes the profile of exhibiting companies and also videos from the event; product catalogues and price lists.

The virtual expo will be promoted online via global portals giving exhibitors a further six months of free marketing potential.

“While we appreciate the positive feedback for the 2016 edition of our exhibitions, we are aiming for each show in 2017 to be bigger and better which is why the team has already started working on the foundations for the 2017 exhibitions," added Abdulrahman.

The next year's gulf BID, Gulf Interiors and Gulf Property Show takes place from May 9 to 11.-TradeArabia News Service