Around 500 exhibitors from 25 countries will take part in the upcoming consumer fair in Dubai, an indication that the Dubai consumer goods industry is recession-proof, according to organisers.

The 25th edition the International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF10) will run from December 13 to 15 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The exhibition, ranked as one of the more popular general trade fairs in the region will occupy 13,000 square meters of space.

Satish Khanna, general manager of Al Fajer Information & Services, said: “Over the last 24 years, IATF has been recognised as a robust regional business platform for the global consumer goods industry keen to expand footprints in the Mena region.”

“Dubai is ideally poised to sustain its position as a trading hub for consumer goods being surrounded by fast growing markets of the Subcontinent and Africa.”

Khanna added: “This year, the fair will host the official national pavilions of eight countries, occupying 80 per cent of exhibition space. The national pavilions include 250 exhibitors from China, 40 from Hong Kong, 15 from Singapore, 40 from Korea, 25 from Iran, 20 from Turkey, 35 from India and 10 from Malaysia.”

“India and Turkey are coming for the first time as official pavilion. Other countries participating at IATF10 at individual levels include Indonesia, UAE, Taiwan, Italy, Pakistan and Japan.”

Zhejiang Foreign Trade & Economic Co-operation Bureau will be taking part for the continuous fourth time. Geared up to meet the contemporary living with style & innovation, they will bring in a wide range of goods manufactured in Zhejiang Province of China with participation from over 85 well established enterprises.

In line with the past trends, participation from China continues to be huge, with the pavilions being organised by several official bodies like Shenzhen Wanbo China Foreign Trade organisation, Sinobal China, Shanghai Global, CCFNA and others. These participants have been represented at the IATF since its inception.

Hong Kong will be part of IATF’10 for the seventh consecutive year on a larger scale, with 40 exhibitors. The large scale participation of Hong Kong comes against the backdrop of the increasing trade between the East Asian country and the UAE and the region in general. The UAE is the single largest trade partner of Hong Kong in the Middle East region.

The HK pavilion is being organised under the banner of Hong Kong Trade Development Council and will display a variety of consumer products, including gifts and premium, electronics, houseware and household products, and fashion products and accessories.

Korea is also set to make its presence felt with over 40 companies from various provinces of Korea participating. Organisations like IKED, KITA & Busan Economic Promotion Agency are giving extensive support to Korean exhibitors in the show.

Khanna added: “IATF’10 will also witness an official pavilion from Iran, with over 25 companies taking part. Iran is one of the extensive export destinations for UAE and IATF offers immense trade opportunities between the two countries. Iran pavilion will be organized by Iran International Exhibitions Company under the banner of Ministry of Commerce.”

IATF10 will unveil an exciting mix of products comprising cosmetics, foodstuffs, electronics, household appliances, plastic household products, toys, stationery, electrical items, handicrafts, carpets, garments, textiles, house ware, kitchen ware, sanitary ware, novelties, machinery, machine tools, hardware accessories and dairy products. – TradeArabia News Service