Expo Centre Sharjah organises road shows across Italy to promote awareness about Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition

The idea behind the road shows, covering the cities of Florence, Bologna, Palermo, Ragusa, Como, Napoli and Pistoia, was to further strengthen the participation of small and medium Italian enterprises in the event.

The road shows were conducted in two phases. The first phase included the cities of Florence, Bologna, Palermo, Ragusa, and Pistoia and was led by Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Advisor to the Chairman and Board of Directors of Expo Centre Sharjah, while the second phase included the cities of Como and Napoli, and was led by Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah.

Several important sector specific presentations concerning the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets were made during the road shows.

Ms. Lilian Segundo-Fernandes, Group Project Manager for the exhibition, also played an active role in the promotion plan of the road shows.

The road shows were attended by the official delegates from C.N.A. & CONFARTIGIANATO, the Italian Institute For Foreign Trade and the respective Chamber of Commerce and other government officials from each city where they were held.

The fourth edition of the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition will be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from May 29 - June 1, 2007. The four-day event will feature a wide range of Italian products, services, and technologies.

The ten-day road shows were aimed at showcasing the business potential of the MENA region and also the benefits of exhibiting at the coming edition of the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition at Expo Centre Sharjah to Italian companies and service providers.

The road shows, while projecting markets for a wide range of Italian products and services, particularly highlighted the booming prospects for Italian companies engaged in the manufacturing of furniture, furnishings, and lighting equipment, in the MENA region.

Detailed presentations on the region's flourishing construction sector and its growing requirements of furniture, furnishings, and lighting products, as a result of the boom, were also made during the road shows.

Besides the booming construction industry, the region's huge market for Italian food products was also showcased during the event.

"The idea behind the road shows was to create awareness among small and medium Italian enterprises about the MENA markets and the coming Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The response received was overwhelming. The coming edition is expected to feature over 200 Italian companies dealing in a wide array of goods and services. The focus, however, will be on furniture, furnishings, and lighting products. The event will be a perfect sourcing platform in the MENA region, especially for the construction sector, for high quality and contemporary Italian interior décor," he added.

Mr. Saif Al Midfa also expressed his gratitude to the various Italian chambers of commerce and other trade bodies that extended support during the road shows.

The Chambers of Commerce in Como and Napoli have agreed to provide all companies based within their cities with subsidies to the tune of 50% for participating in the coming edition of the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition.

Generally, Italian chambers of commerce provide a maximum of 30% subsidy for participation in such exhibitions.

The fourth edition of the Italian lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition will display Italy's artistic excellence and industrial marvel. The event will feature furniture, furnishings, home accessories, bathroom fittings, sanitary ware, kitchen fittings and equipment, windows and doors, flooring material, ceramic products and accessories, wooden products, metallic and compound materials, and lighting equipment.

A special section on high quality Italian food products and services consisting of sweets, nuggets, chocolates, biscuits, olive oil, and canned foods will also be showcased. Italian food is considered to be one of the richest and most varied in the world.

A major attraction of the 2007 Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition will be the display and sale of Italian fashion products and accessories. The Italian fashion industry boasts of 70,000 companies and 700,000 professionals with annual revenues exceeding 48 billion euro. The industry is one of the most active in the world and is a leader in the prêt-à-porter lines category. The term prêt-à-porter refers to the most high-end fashion designers.

The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition will be an opportunity for the region's fashion conscious to witness first hand the creativity, innovation, and impeccable style of the Italian fashion industry.

For both individual buyers as well as fashion stores in the Middle East keen to acquire the best of Italian creations, the event will be ideal to visit.

The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition is jointly organised by the Italian Trade Commission in Dubai, Artex, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE and GCC, and Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).