Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions will host the sixth edition of Gulf Industry Fair (GIF), the Northern Gulf’s premier business-to-business (B2B) industrial expo, from January 15 to 17 next year.

Renowned for the outstanding calibre of its exhibitors – from world-scale manufacturing plants to specialist equipment suppliers, distributors and agencies representing the key segments of aluminium, energy and environmental protection, industrial processes and manufacturing, industrial security and safety, ports, logistics and free zones, steel and alloys and training - GIF 2013 promises new and exciting elements.

The organisers have started laying the foundations for next year’s show, when top industrial companies and senior decision makers again converge on Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

For the first time in the show’s history, an ‘Industry Week’ will be held to coincide with the Fair. This unique initiative will see leading industries in Bahrain open their doors to university students, who will undertake site visits and gain first-hand experience of the Kingdom’s world-class industrial capabilities.

Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions, said, 'Corporate social responsibility is high on the agendas of all large industrial concerns, who continually seek better ways to engage with their local communities. Initiatives such as ‘Industry Week’ facilitate this engagement process.'

'The idea of an Industry Week has really been born out of the encouragement of our exhibitors, who want to engage the next generation of the working population to consider careers as engineers, industrial designers, process managers and other paths, to fuel Bahrain’s drive as an industrial hub,' he added

In addition, in the run up to GIF 2013, the Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions will step up its marketing efforts in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, by far the Northern Gulf’s biggest and most vibrant industrial area, where hundreds of billions of dollars worth of projects are either underway or planned over the next few years, said Abdulrahman.

“The vast majority of exhibitors at Gulf Industry Fair either serve or are planning to serve the Saudi market. It is our responsibility therefore to maximise awareness of the Fair in this huge market, and in this regard we will launch in September a mass communications strategy targeting the industrial big hitters in the Eastern Province,” he added.

GIF was last held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain,  from February 7 to 9, 2012 when more than 100 exhibitors from 21 countries showcased their products, services and capabilities.

Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions has rapidly established a track record for delivering successful, highly targeted conferences, exhibitions and events in Bahrain, including the Bahrain Maritime Festival and the GCC Future Entrepreneurs Forum, held to great acclaim in May 2012.-TradeArabia News Service