Gulf Industry Fair (GIF), the premier business-to-business industrial show in the Northern Gulf, will kick off in Bahrain in a big way with a major new initiative being introduced by organisers Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE).

Preparations are already in full swing for the giant industrial event, which runs from January 15 to 17 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC), said HCE in a statement.

The new ‘Industry Week’ is a unique and innovative concept whereby a cross-section of Bahrain’s leading industries will open their doors for site visits for university students and graduates for the duration of the fair.

‘Industry Week’ is primarily designed to promote Bahrain’s world-class industrial capabilities to young stakeholders, while highlighting the sector as a viable and rewarding career option for students and graduates, who will form the backbone of future industrial and economic growth.

More broadly, it also seeks to tap into the growing commitment among large industrial concerns to engage more closely with the local communities in which they operate, the HCE statement added.

‘Industry Week’ promises to add yet another important dimension to a show format that is already renowned as a valuable showcase for Northern Gulf industries - from world-scale manufacturing plants to specialist equipment suppliers, distributors and agencies representing the key segments of aluminium, energy and environmental protection, steel and alloys, industrial processes and manufacturing, ports, logistics and free zones, training for industry; and industrial security and safety.

Several Bahrain-based firms have already pledged to support ‘Industry Week’, including National Institute for Industrial Training (NIIT), Hidd Power Company and ITSS, a prominent industrial trading company, and many more are expected to follow suit as they realise the long-term strategic benefits of early engagement with schools and universities.

Jubran Abdulrahman, HCE managing director, said: 'Bahrain, like its GCC neighbours, envisages industrial development as a prime driver of long-term economic growth. Participating companies in Gulf Industry Fair have requested that we highlight the virtues of industrial growth to the wider community.'

“Promoting industrial career opportunities to the next generation is important. Industry should be seen not as a dirty word in the modern world but rather as an opportunity for innovation and the development of society. Bahrain’s move towards an industrial base will require a new skilled workforce for engines of economic growth,' remarked Abdulrahman.

“We look forward to the evolution of ‘Industry Week’, which will inject new energy for visitors and exhibitors meeting and doing business in a structured, professional setting,” he added.

As in previous years, GIF 2013 is endorsed by some of Bahrain’s most high profile industrial organisations, including the National Oil & Gas Authority (Noga) in association with Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), who will, respectively, sponsor the energy and aluminium zones in the exhibition hall.

Bahrain’s semi-government organisation Tamkeen (Labour Fund) has also agreed once again to extend financial assistance to eligible small and medium-sized exhibitors, following the overwhelming success of the ‘Tarweej’ growth assistance scheme rolled out for GIF 2012.

Like ‘Industry Week’, the close collaboration between HCE and its partners is part of a unique approach to supporting the local economy and positioning the Kingdom as the Northern Gulf’s prime exhibitions hub.

This year, GIF was held from February 7 to 9 under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, at which more than 100 exhibitors from 21 countries showcased their products, services and capabilities.-TradeArabia News Service