Lazio makes its debut at Cityscape in Dubai to bet on the Middle East market

"Cityscape is the most prestigious real estate trade fair in the Middle East and, for Sviluppo Lazio, - stated Stefano Cortini, Sviluppo Lazio's Marketing & Foreign Investment Manager - it is an important opportunity to meet and share experiences with investors and developers that are part of this strongly growing market and major capital investments. Our participation in the Dubai trade fair is part of our agency's territorial marketing activities aimed at attracting investments towards the areas in Lazio that receive EU Structural Fund allocations. By organizing one-to-one meetings and promoting Lazio to a select group of investors, we will provide a panorama of the specific investment opportunities proposed by the Region and local authorities."

Sviluppo Lazio's workshop, entitled "Lazio: a Bridge to the Mediterranean, a Platform to Europe", will take place Tuesday, 5 December, at 11.00 a.m., Dubai World Trade Center at Fujaiah, room A, level 1. The session will be opened by S.E. Paolo Dionisi, Abu Dhabi's Ambassador to Italy, and the speakers Stefano Cortini (Sviluppo Lazio's Marketing & Foreign Investment Manager) and Amalia Colacei (City Councillor of Urban Policy for the Province of Rome) will present to investors and international press the main strategies set in motion to develop the region and attract foreign direct investments to the Province of Rome.

During the workshop and one-to-one meetings, international investors will have a unique opportunity to learn about the region's territory and economic strong points. In recent years, Lazio has fortified its infrastructures and encouraged development in high-technology sectors. The Lazio region is constantly evolving: at the center of important, strategic projects for the development of infrastructures, high-tech sectors, research and innovation.

Lazio has proven to be Italy's most attractive region for investments. The region's GDP is up 3.8% in 2006, much higher than the national GDP, and the average individual income (20,722 euro) is significantly greater than the national average (17,995 euro). Lazio's thriving economy is intensified by approximately 550 multinational companies within the region, 18,000 companies of the ICT sector (equal to 12% of the national total) and by an annual 100 million tons of commercially traded goods. Lazio is also the number one destination in Italy for national and international tourists, with 1,800 hotels and about 10 million visitors each year.

Sviluppo Lazio's main focus at Cityscape will be the presentation of the region's most important projects, either already completed or in progress, that also highlight the strongest areas of Lazio's economy.

The 20 projects, that offer opportunities of particular interest to international investors, include: the new Tiburtino Technopole Center (high-tech), 8 projects involving the region's main infrastructures (investment area, logistics), 6 plans for the tourism sector, plus proposals for industrial development areas (investment area, industrial parks) in 5 potential locations.

Sviluppo Lazio's participation in Cityscape is part of a larger regional marketing project, which forsees a "road show" including the main international real estate trade fairs. Prior to its debut in the United Arab Emirates, Sviluppo Lazio took part in: Mipim, Expo Real and Mapic.