Gulf Construction Online - Update

Expo News

Update - Expo News

01 April 2009

Spas in the limelight
THIS year’s Hotel Show will host the first Middle East Spa Summit when it opens next month (May 24 to 26), in a bid to focus on the region’s $630-million resort and spa industry.

“The Middle East has invested heavily in hotel development in recent years, which means it is better placed than many other parts of the world to remain sound during the current challenging times,” says Maggie Moore, director of The Hotel Show.
According to a survey by Proleads, a total of 61 hotel developments worth $8.8 billion are due for completion by the end of 2010 across the Gulf. The vast bulk of these new hotel developments are in the UAE with 22 due for completion this year and a further 13 in 2010.
The survey shows five major hotels reaching completion this year in Saudi Arabia, followed by seven more in 2010. Qatar will see five new hotels completing this year and two in 2010. Bahrain has one finishing in 2009 and four in 2010. Spending on new hotels is at its highest over the two years in the UAE, accounting for $6.1 billion of the combined $8.8 billion.
“These are challenging times for everyone but these latest figures show that hotel suppliers continue to have an expanding market in the Middle East,” says Moore.
Expert to illuminate Palme
PALME Middle East expo, the region’s largest dedicated trade show for professional audio, lighting, music, entertainment, audio-visual and systems integration solutions, will have internationally-renowned event lighting specialist Matthieu Larivée as its keynote speaker.
Larivée, who has been honoured with international awards for his special event lighting designs at the Pyramids in Egypt, will speak at the event, which takes place this month (April 26 to 28) at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.
In his presentation on, ‘Transforming One of the Seven Wonders of the World — Live at the Pyramids’, Larivee will examine future trends and review the latest technology available.
Supernova brightens bath sector
DORNBRACHT, a leading manufacturer of high-quality design taps and accessories for bathrooms and kitchens, showcased its new lifestyle-oriented series in the form of Supernova at this year’s ISH held last month (March 10 to 14) in Frankfurt, Germany.
“The Supernova is a fixture of high sculptural quality which, with its many facets and polygonal surfaces is reminiscent of precision-worked crystal,” says Andreas Dornbracht, CEO of Dornbracht.
Supernova is available for all areas of application, with the option of lever handles or handles in cube form. The product range comprises approximately 60 products which – in addition to single-lever taps and three-hole taps – also includes two waterfall taps, for wall-mounting and free-standing applications.
Date set for Antalya expo
THE 17th Baucon Yapex, Building Materials and Construction Technology Fair will take place at Antalya Expo Centre in Antalya in Turkey from October 22 to 25. The show will provide huge opportunities for firms looking to cash in on tourism investments in Antalya, according to the organisers, Akdeniz Tanitim of Turkey and Germany’s Messe Munchen. Also, as many as 100,000 new houses are expected to be built in the region on the back of an urban boom, the organisers added. Last year’s event attracted 320 companies and 27,000 professionals.
Brisk business at office show
AS MANY AS 365 exhibitors participated in last month’s Office Exhibition at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai, UAE.
Al Aqili Furnishings (AAF) won two deals worth a total of Dh3.2 million ($872,000), while Delma Interiors, in association with Access International, signed a deal worth over Dh1 million to supply Nightingale chairs to a UK firm as well as a contract to distribute Mi Youl interactive and high-technology screens within the UAE.
Also, Ufficio signed distribution agreements for Famo, a Portuguese furniture maker, Davison Highley, a British manufacturer of commercial soft seating and Brunner, a German manufacturer of chairs.
Water expo draws the crowds
LAST month’s Water Technology, Energy and Environment Exhibition 2009 (Wetex 2009) attracted a large number of visitors who were keen to explore new technologies and solutions during the three-day exhibition in Dubai, which also hosted a series of 25 workshops and a seminar. Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer revealed that on the back of the show’s successs, bookings for next year’s event – which will be held from March 9 to 1 – had already reached 60 per cent of the total display area.
Big response to waste summit
ABOUT 180 companies from 27 countries will participate in the Waste Summit 2009, which will be held from May 26 to 28 at Dubai Airport Expo Centre. Held in association with the government of Dubai, Dubai and Sharjah municipalities and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the conference and exhibition will host 6,000 leaders to debate, demonstrate and discover the most efficient ways to rapidly develop the waste management and recycling sectors in the Middle East. Keynote speakers will include UAE Minister of Environment and Water Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahed, and Fareed Bushehri from UNEP’s Regional Office for West Asia.