Visitor numbers for the gulfBID and gulfINTERIORS exhibitions in Bahrain last week saw a 77 per cent increase compared to last year.

A total of 5,990 unique professional trade visitors representing leading construction and interiors companies attended the events from May 4 to 6 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), compared with 3,387 unique trade visitors who attended gulfBID in 2009.

As many as 5,552 of the 5,990 visitors were from the GCC countries, including 4,196 visitors from Bahrain and 1,356 from the rest of the GCC. There were a total of 438 visitors from the rest of the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Organisers Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE) believe the main reasons behind the large increase are: improved sentiment in the construction and interiors sectors of the Northern Gulf due to new projects; the launch of gulfINTERIORS, a dedicated show for the design and interiors sectors; and a doubling of the visitor promotion spend by HCE.

Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director, HCE, said: “We are grateful for the unwavering support of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in line with his vision to establish the Kingdom of Bahrain as the strategic exhibitions hub for the Gulf region as part of the broader Vision 2030. HCE is dedicated to delivering successful trade shows to turn these visions into reality, and to this end I am delighted to say that gulfBID and gulfINTERIORS 2010 have been a resounding success.

“More than 80 per cent of our exhibitors have already officially signaled their intent to return next year, many planning to take more space than this year. Furthermore, the majority of countries with national pavilions have promised their support for next year. We aim to build on this momentum as HCE establishes gulfBID and gulfINTERIORS as the flagship events for the Northern Gulf’s construction and interiors sectors.”

Kim Willis, exhibitions director, HCE, said: “A 77 per cent increase in visitor numbers completely bucks the regional trend where trade shows elsewhere in the GCC are suffering in the downturn, and perhaps this reflects a shift in geographical importance from the Southern Gulf to the Northern Gulf in terms of construction and interiors trade shows.
“HCE is clearly delivering the type of dedicated shows which meet the core B2B (business-to-business) and market awareness objectives of construction and interiors companies in the Northern Gulf. gulfBID has now come of age and is today recognised as one of the most influential events of its type in the Middle East trade show calendar.

“The strategic decision to launch gulfINTERIORS this year as a separate showcase for design and interiors firms also appears to have paid off strongly, with very positive feedback coming from exhibitors,” Willis said.

“Furthermore, our confidence in doubling our visitor promotion spend to attract visitors from Bahrain and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia appears justified, and this is in keeping with the overall positive sentiment currently felt within the construction and interiors sectors as major projects in the Northern Gulf continue unabated.

“HCE now looks forward to building on the buzz generated by gulfBID and gulfINTERIORS this year to deliver even better shows in 2011,” Willis added.

gulfBID and gulfINTERIORS featured a total of 166 exhibitors from 21 countries, many of whom reported high quality enquiries for their products and services as well as the forging of strategic partnerships and long-term relationships at the shows.
 
The sixth gulfBID and second gulfINTERIORS exhibitions will be held from May 3 to 5, 2011 at the BIEC.  –TradeArabia News Service