Category Archives: Exhibitions

Riyadh Travel Fair 2020 has been postponed from March 26-28, 2020 to September 1-3, 2020 in line with precautionary measures due to the international rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The ongoing coronavirus crisis hit Saudi Arabia earlier this week with the first case of an infected individual recorded. Saudi authorities were quick to act, quarantining 70 people who were in contact with that individual. Many other precautionary measures have also been taken by the Saudi authorities prior to this and continue to be implemented. After consultation with government authorities, partners and travel industry experts around the world, a difficult decision was made to postpone the Riyadh Travel Fair until beginning of September 2020. Bander Al Gryni, General Manager ASAS Exhibitions – organiser of the Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF), said, “We are planning to make the 2020 September edition the biggest event to date, with an increase in both the number of exhibitors and visitors. We expect around 275 exhibitors representing more than 50 countries to take part, with more than 50 national and regional pavilions to share the floor. Once opening our doors, we are planning for more than 30,000 visitors over the three-day period.”

To date only two Chinese exhibitors have cancelled their ITB Berlin attendance, confirms Messe Berlin. At 0.3 per cent overall, the share of exhibitors from the People’s Republic of China is very low. The percentage of visitors from China is even lower at 0.02 per cent of the 160,000 visitors. For the upcoming edition of ITB Berlin, more english-speaking staff as well as additional medical specialists and first responders on the grounds, have been added. The sanitary facilities will be cleaned and disinfected at more frequent intervals. In addition to hand cleansers in the bathrooms there will also be sanitiser dispensers at the entrances. The organisers highlight that the safety of our visitors and exhibitors will be their utmost priority and they are taking the situation very seriously.

The International launch of ‘Taste France’ at Gulfood 2020 will reinforce already well-established relationships between French and Middle Eastern companies. Business France will be supporting business opportunities between French producers and importers, key buyers and food industry experts visiting Gulfood. This year, 80 French exhibitors will be part of Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition. This show will be the opportunity to announce the international launch of France’s F&B dedicated brand- ‘Taste France’. Within France global commitment to share French way of life, Taste France aims to specifically promote F&B products worldwide. French gastronomy quality is recognised all over the world; Taste France takes a step further by gathering F&B industry players around their common interests. From the perspective of claiming a joint identity for all French F&B companies while promoting the diversity of their products besides their ability to innovate, Taste France also strengthens the approach of the French offering by communicating on conviviality and sharing principles. Christophe Lecourtier, CEO, Business France, commented, “France has been a partner of Gulfood since its beginning in 1987 and I have to admit that the global dimension of this show that kept growing ever since firmly influenced our choice to unveil Taste France here in Dubai, as this event perfectly fits with the international ambition of Taste France, which is to unify and promote the whole French Food & Beverages industry.”

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is set to host the second edition of its ‘Saturday Market’, which will be held every Saturday from 9 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm starting from January 25 until March 22, 2020, in Bab Al Bahrain at the heart of the Manama Souq. During the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2020, the Saturday Market will be open to visitors for four consecutive days. With its main focus centered on hosting a market where craftsmen can showcase and sell their handicrafts products, the ‘Saturday Market’ is held at Bab Al Bahrain every winter with an aim of developing the handicrafts sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This year, the event will feature 40 craftsmen specialised in 25 crafts including basket weaving, traditional chests, wooden works, pottery, hand embroidery, henna design, dolls, carpets, cage-making, and crochet among others. In addition, the event will feature live traditional performances, traditional Bahraini food vendors, and activities and play areas for children. “With Manama being named the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2020, it is with great pride that we continue our efforts at BTEA to preserve these traditional professions for the future generations while developing the local tourism sector and increasing its contribution to the national economy,” said the Nader Al Moayyed, Chief Executive Officer of BTEA.

Travel, tourism and hospitality professionals from around the world will have an opportunity to explore the next generation of in-destination trends and innovations at the Middle East’s first ever edition of Arival Dubai @ ATM, which will take place alongside Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020 at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19 – 22, 2020. The dedicated forum, which will take place on April 19, will enable vendors, agents and operators of tours, activities and attractions to gain invaluable insights into the latest trends and challenges impacting the in-destination industry, as well as improving customer experience and business development throughout the Middle East market.  Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “According to the latest data from research firm Phocuswright, tours, activities and attractions are currently the third largest and fastest growing sector within the travel and tourism industry, representing approximately US$180 billion in global travel spend annually. One third of tours, activities and attractions are booked online at present with the Middle East representing one of the world’s fastest growing online travel experience markets.” Delegates at the inaugural Arival Dubai @ ATM forum will have access to a packed conference agenda featuring high-profile keynote speakers, with Arival Co-Founder and CEO Douglas Quinby, kicking-off proceedings with a session on the current and future in-destination trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the Middle East sector. The forum will also feature ‘Ask Me Anything Interviews’ with a range of senior executives from leading attractions and online agencies within the region. There will also be several round-table discussions on innovations and distributions impacting the in-destination industry and changing consumer behaviour.

Matka Nordic Travel Fair, which will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki from January 15 to 19, 2020, has announced an ambitious goal — to be the world’s most responsible tourism event. “The actions taken by Messukeskus to save energy, increase the use of renewable energy, and reduce waste and increase recycling help us to work towards our goal of being the most responsible travel-industry event in the world. Our goal is to be 110 per cent carbon neutral in ten years. We already recycle 99 per cent of our waste, and in our catering, we will, in the future, continue to promote vegetarian food and leftover brunches. Already now, 85 per cent of the food we serve at fairs is locally sourced and made from Finnish ingredients. In Finland, we get to enjoy the world’s cleanest tap water, which is why we also encourage our international Matka Nordic Travel Fair visitors to bring their own water bottles to fill on site, instead of drinking bottled water. If necessary, you can also buy a bottle at the fair”, says Anna Suominen, Sales Group Manager at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair. For the first time, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair will feature the Sustainable Travel Competition for exhibitors. The competition jury will review the finalists to select the winner, who will receive a €3,000 prize, which is donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation.  

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) continues to work towards establishing a strong foothold in the Northern European tourism market. Efforts to draw in more visitors from the region will commence this year with its upcoming participation at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair in Helsinki, Finland. Set to take place from January 15 to 19, 2020, the latest edition marks the second consecutive year that SCTDA will be joining the premier global travel event. In 2020, the Authority will showcase Sharjah’s range of diverse tourism offerings – from world-class hotels to exciting adventures and other fun activities to special packages and promos – which are expected to appeal to the Northern European travellers. The five-day Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the largest travel and tourism exhibition in Northern Europe, an important source market for Sharjah’s tourism sector. More than 50,000 visitors and about 20,000 tourism and travel agencies attend the annual international gathering. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “As the largest tourism and travel exhibition in Northern Europe, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair is a significant and strategic platform for us at SCTDA to showcase the emirate’s diverse range of tourism products for visitors and companies in the region. Our participation is part of our continuous efforts to raise Sharjah’s profile as a leading destination that attracts all kinds of tourists from all over the world.” Sharjah welcomed more than 578,000 European travellers in 2018, up 24 per cent from 468,034 tourists recorded in 2017. Joining the SCTDA delegates in the global event are the executives of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Sharjah Expo, Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & …

Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) and PCMA have signed a strategic training and partnership agreement at the PCMA Convening Leaders 2020 conference, which was held this week in San Francisco, USA.  As part of the agreement, PCMA will support ADCEB, which is part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), in three key areas, including Convention Services Manager Training (CSM training) for elected event executives from the emirate. The agreement also entails hosting an Abu Dhabi Advisory Summit, which is set to take place later this year, as well as the introduction of a series of educational programmes and membership to help build the knowledge base and event management capabilities within the M!CE industry in Abu Dhabi. Mubarak Al Shamisi, Director of ADCEB, said, “Abu Dhabi is strengthening its industry capabilities to serve the global community of business event strategists, planners and organisers through education and knowledge sharing, and partnering with an esteemed global entity such as PCMA is key to achieving that. We are very excited about this partnership and look forward to the successes it will bring in 2020 and beyond.” Sherrif Karamat, CAE, PCMA President and CEO, said, “Abu Dhabi and PCMA are perfectly aligned as we both recognise that the business events industry can play an instrumental role in economic and social transformation. Abu Dhabi also realises that this requires the development of their most important asset – their citizens and this is where PCMA can bring tremendous value as the global leader in the business events industry.”

Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) revealed the new identity and logo of Manama as the “Capital of Arab Tourism for 2020″ following the announcement that was made during the 22nd session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism. The Kingdom of Bahrain celebrated the beginning of 2020 with a spectacular fireworks show as part of the New Year’s Eve celebratory event organised by the BTEA. BTEA had organised a number of entertainment activities for visitors including a live performance by Majaz Musical Band, a ballet dancer performance on stilts ‘A Dance of Color’, in addition to the breathtaking musical aerial performance by the dancers and acrobats of SONIC as well as the live DJ and drumming with Sonic Snares from the United Kingdom. During the countdown, the identity and logo of Manama were revealed on the side interface of the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, which was shortly followed by a spectacular display of fireworks to mark the occasion.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) announced the opening of online registration for exhibitors, media professionals and visitors to participate in the fourth edition of the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) and Simulation and Training Exhibition and Conference (SimTEX) and the accompanying conference. Both are held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and organised by ADNEC in cooperation with the General Command of the Armed Forces, from February 23-25, 2020. The Higher Organising Committee of UMEX and SimTEX exhibitions indicated that all sub-committees are ready for the event a specially set programme, with the aim of achieving the highest levels of excellence for the upcoming edition at all levels. This will be done by building on previous editions’ successes, achieved on regional and international levels, with teams that include distinguished national competencies who will work to prepare and develop events in a manner that benefits the reputation and standing of the UAE. Saeed Al Mansouri, Executive Director of IDEX, a subsidiary of ADNEC, said, “The third edition of UMEX and SimTEX witnessed great success and local and international record turnout, thanks to the directives and support of our wise leadership, and as a result of the exceptional efforts made by ADNEC and its group of companies in cooperation with partners from the public and private sectors, organising committees and media establishments sponsoring the exhibitions and the accompanying conference. At ADNEC, we are always focused on hosting and organising international exhibitions and events that support business tourism sectors identified in the Abu Dhabi plan, that contribute to advancing economic development …