Gulf Industry Fair (GIF), the premier business-to-business (B2B) industrial exhibition in the Northern Gulf, will be held from February 14 to 16 next year at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The Fair, being organised by Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE), will attract leading companies from key industrial sectors in the region.

GIF 2012 is being organised as Northern Gulf governments spearhead multi-billion dollar industrial investments.

In Saudi Arabia alone, nearly $90 billion will reportedly be spent in the next decade on adding new power supply networks, while $30 billion will be spent on new water projects up to 2016.

Known for its high calibre of visitors, the 2012 exhibition promises to attract senior decision makers, procurement personnel and product specifiers from the buoyant Northern Gulf region, making it the ultimate B2B networking experience.

HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said: “The overall economic vision for many countries is based on wealth driving demand for services. It is clear wealth creation will come from industry, so we anticipate the industrial manufacturing and services sector to see outstanding growth opportunities over the next few years."

"This positive vision of the future for Bahrain and the GCC forms the basis of HCE’s vision for Gulf Industry Fair," remarked Abdulrahman.

Local, regional and international enterprises representing the aluminium, machine tools, industrial equipment, manufacturing, automation, steel, energy, logistics, Ports & Free Trade Zones and vocational training sectors, from world-scale manufacturers to specialist equipment suppliers, distributors and agencies, will participate in the Fair.

GIF 2012, the fifth edition of the successful show series, will seek to build upon the success of the 2011 show, when 107 exhibitors from 16 countries conducted $30 million worth of business.

HCE conference director, Ahmed Suleiman said: “The initial response from regional and international companies has been positive and we are confident that GIF 2012 will be bigger and better than GIF 2011.”

To date, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce, British Expertise, a trade organisation which promotes British companies overseas, the German Arab Chamber and Machinery Trade International have confirmed their support for GIF 2012.-TradeArabia News Service