Gulf Construction Online - Major Bahrain events lined up for 2016

Events

Visitors at the 2015 edition of gulfInteriors.

Major Bahrain events lined up for 2016

01 December 2015

Bahrain-based Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) has launched its campaign for next year’s calendar of events.

These include the Gulf Industry Fair, which will be held along with iTech Industry, and the trio of trade shows: gulfBID, gulfInteriors and Gulf Property Show.

The launch highlighted new features to the back-to-back exhibitions to be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIEC), which HCE said will add value to the kingdom’s expo industry.

HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said: “The exhibitions industry is not a passive partner in the growth of the national economy of Bahrain. Everything that we do as a company and through the companies that take advantage of our marketing platforms at the exhibitions, has both direct and indirect economic implications for the residents of Bahrain.”

iTech Industry, the dedicated IT and ICT expo, will be co-located with the ninth edition of Gulf Industry Fair, which is said to be the GCC’s leading one-stop show to promote sectors key to industrialisation. It is scheduled to take place from February 9 to 11, 2016.

iTech Industry is expected to provide direct access to the IT sector targeting customers in segments such as aluminium, energy, environment, metals, industrial processes and manufacturing, logistics and industrial facilities, industrial security and safety, ports and maritime industries and training.

“Companies on average spend 10 per cent of their annual revenue on IT and ICT solutions and innovations,” said Abdulrahman.

“iTech Industry provides a gateway for companies in finding products relating to data security, disaster recovery, privacy, web mining, advanced imaging, sensing technologies, supply chain optimisation, industrial engineering advanced design, robotic, cloud computing and artificial intelligence uses,” he added.

“By running alongside Gulf Industry Fair, iTech Industry will have a targeted audience of exhibitors and visitors,” said Ahmed Suleiman, the exhibitions director of HCE.

Additionally, a strong suite of parallel conferences and innovative workshops will be held alongside the fair. The show will also host the annual iTech gulf awards.

Meanwhile, the trio of trade shows comprising gulfBID, gulfInteriors and Gulf Property Show will be held from April 26 to 28 next year.

The construction expo gulfBID will continue to play a prominent role promoting the value of the construction industry in Bahrain and neighbouring Saudi Arabia, said Abdulrahman.

The gulfInteriors event, meanwhile, will host international brands as well as the best of local brands. It is renowned for highlighting products made in Bahrain, establishing the region as a leader in the market for interior designs, said HCE.

The exhibition provides a unique marketing advantage amongst GCC’s interior design expos as it is co-located with the construction and property shows, it added.

The show has a unique edge over other exhibitions in the region because it takes place alongside the Gulf Property Show and gulfBID, the only integrated B2B and B2C platforms for the construction, interior and property sectors in the Northern Gulf, said Abdulrahman.

“gulfInteriors is a platform for architects, interior designers, importers and dealers to network and market their products,” he added.

Next year’s edition carries the strategic sponsorship of Kuwaiti Manager Building Materials & Equipment, a subsidiary of the Kuwaiti Manager Holding Company (KMC) and Hempel Paints (global leading suppliers for quality paints).

HCE’s other big event, Gulf Property Show, the flagship for international real estate and property developers, is proving popular with a forecast to grow in 2016 by 30 per cent on last year’s record size.

The boutique show will market commercial and residential real estate developments throughout Bahrain, the GCC, Turkey, the US, the UK and Europe.

Suleiman said the plans for virtual exhibitions will provide added value of 12-month extra exposure to a global audience.

“Visitors to the exhibitions’ sites can see video tours of the company and its product range and also access e-profiles and we are adding to this unique feature a fun element – with select your guide for the exhibition tour,” he said.