The 14th edition of Airport Show has been sold out weeks ahead of its take off in Dubai on May 11, keeping up its growth tempo in terms of exhibition space size, number of exhibitors and hosted buyers and pre-registered participants.

The top-league B2B event for the global airport industry will run until May 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This year’s Show will occupy a gross exhibition space of 12,600 sq m, an increase of nine per cent compared with the previous edition.

The number of exhibitors has surged 11 per cent to reach the 250 mark this year compared with the 2013 edition. A record 39 countries will be represented at the Show, including eight new entrants -Estonia, India, Libya, Luxemburg, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Thailand.

An 80 per cent growth has been recorded by the Hosted Buyers Programme with record participation of 105 decision-makers representing 38 airport operators and civil aviation authorities from 19 countries - Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the UAE.

The programme made its debut in 2009 with 41 participations and has maintained a growth curve since then.

There will be six country pavilions this year, including the first-ever US-Canada joint marquee. Germany Pavilion will be the biggest with 31 exhibitors including 11 new exhibitors, while China, France and Swiss pavilions will feature a total of 28 exhibitors, including seven new participants. There will be record 37 sessions at the free seminars at the Innovation Podium covering a wide range of topics and introduction to new technology, products and solutions.

Decision-makers from the Arabian Gulf airports which are in the midst of $40 billion developments will be utilizing the show for their procurements and supplies, thereby offering immense business growth prospects for the exhibitors. This year’s show will see as many as 30 new products, solutions and technology being unveiled, a sizeable number of them making the Middle East debut.

Airport Show 2014 will have two co-located events – the 2nd Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) and the inaugural Travel Catering Expo (TCE). Over 30 leading industry stalwarts from across the world will be addressing the knowledge-and-expertise sharing forum while 50 exhibitors have signed up for the debut expo.

Daniyal Qureshi, group exhibition director, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of Airport Show, said: “This year’s Airport Show is the strongest in several fronts, reflecting high optimism and positive growth trends in the aviation industry. The event has grown in its world standing with the unfaltering backing of the global industry which is utilizing the platform to showcase latest innovation and technology and generate business.”

“The big jump in Hosted Buyer numbers this year clearly reflects the surge in investments in airport developments and the keenness of decision-makers to source their requirements through the Show,” Qureshi added. – TradeArabia News Service