Over 150 companies from 30 countries are showcasing their products and services at the ongoing Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) exhibition.

Khalid Bin Sulayem, director general of Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai opened the leisure industry show on Sunday.

The expo offers a number of new attractions this year, pointing to the continued growth of the region’s entertainments sector, said the event organisers, International Expo Consults (IEC).

The entertainment and amusement industry continues to go from strength to strength with new and more creative products, family entertainment centres and theme parks coming to the market," said Abdul Rehman Falaknaz, IEC president.

"The Deal is the ultimate showcase of this market creativity and we look forward to witnessing a number of new product launches and product innovations at the show," he added.

Testament to this market growth is the recent opening of two new family entertainment centres in Dubai.

Kidzania opened at The Dubai Mall in January. A dedicated city where children work, learn, play and even earn, spend and save, KidZania spreads over 80,000 sq ft on two levels, making it one of the largest family entertainment centres in the region.

KidZania is conveniently located in the entertainment precinct of the mall near Reel Cinemas, the 22-screen megaplex, and SEGA Republic, the largest of its kind indoor theme park in the Middle East.

Other new-to-market entertainment facilities include the Mirdiff City Centre mall, which boasts aquaplay – a water-based edutainment centre for 2-8 year olds.

The shopping mall also boasts iFly Dubai, a unique attraction consisting of two three-metre diameter transparent vertical wind tunnels, where guests can experience indoor skydiving.

Deal sees the return of a number of regional and international exhibitors, as well as new-to-market participants.

UAE-based Amusement Services International (ASI) has been participating in the show since its inception. According to company Director Prakash Vivekanand, the show is a must attend for anyone involved in the Dubai entertainment, amusement and leisure sector.

“We represent a number of brands and DEAL is the ideal platform to promote these, as well as launch new brands. There are a lot of international visitors attending the show, and here they can see the latest cutting-edge technology being promoted,” said Vivekanand.

“We have watched this show grow. Each year, it attracts the right kind of visitors and showcases the latest business trends. We have used it as the launch pad for many new products,” he added.

ASI is involved in a number of projects across the Middle East, most recently working on the new Mirdiff City Centre family entertainment centre. The company has also been involved in projects in India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

International exhibitors at the expo such as Huss Park Attractions are also confident of business success this week.

“The Middle East is one of the future markets for our sector with a continuing strong development in tourism and entertainment. This is true despite the current economic problems worldwide, which may slow down the speed of development but will not hinder it. Dubai is still at the forefront of visions and development plans, which makes this place so interesting,” said Michael Hesse, vice president, Director Sales, Huss Park Attractions.

“We have exhibited in the past and DEAL has been a great communication platform to talk to many of the parties and peoples involved in current or future projects,” he added.

Deal will also feature the second annual seminar programme, which will cover a two-day workshop offering regional and international business insight.-TradeArabia News Service