Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition to host more than 200 companies

The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates is jointly organised by the Italian Trade Commission in Dubai, Artex, the Italian Industry & Commerce office in the UAE, and Expo Centre Sharjah, with the support of ACARI, Italian Ministry of International Commerce, CNA, Confartigianato, and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

Exhibitors at this year's Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition have been categorized in to different groups as per their product profiles.

A total of 80 interior décor companies, mainly aimed at the regional contracting sector, will display a wide range of furniture and furnishings including 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.

The Italian small and medium enterprises, particularly those engaged in the manufacturing of interior décor products and home fittings and accessories are actively seeking to form alliances with Middle East-based companies due to the region's booming construction industry. Within the GCC, the UAE is the largest construction market with more than USD $ 350 billion worth of active projects.

According to the Dubai Property Group (DPG), USD $ 463 billion have been injected in to the UAE freehold market with 30,000 units planned for delivery in 2007.

On the commercial office space front, over 24 million sq. ft is currently under development in Dubai alone.

In the category of food items, the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition will feature 50 companies dealing in a huge variety of high quality and authentic Italian food products and services including agricultural produces, artisan pasta and gastronomic specialties, barbecues and coffee machines, biological food, cabra's botargo, chocolate specialties, coffee, confectionery, sweets, dried pasta specialties, extra virgin olive oil, mineral water, mullet botargo, tuna botargo, smoked fish, tuna fillet in olive oil, oil and local food, olives, sauces and condiments, sheep sausages and sheep ham, sugared almond and articles for bombonnières, vegetable preserves, vegetables and other high quality foodstuff.

The Italian food industry's annual turnover exceeds € 100 billion.

The fashion items and accessories category will see more than 20 companies showcasing Italian made bags, handbags, duffel bags, packs in different materials, ties, small leather goods, leather accessories, costume jewellery, natural cosmetics prepared from Sardinian herbs, fashion accessories and costume jewellery in Murano glass, gifts and fancy goods, men's bags, fabrics, silverware, leather belts, table and bed linen.

The Italian fashion industry boasts of 70,000 companies and 700,000 professionals with annual revenues exceeding 48 billion euro.

"The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition is Italy's only comprehensive trade event in the region," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The exhibition has over the years established itself as the region's only sourcing platform for high quality and authentic Italian goods and services. This year, it is aimed at meeting the complete needs of the regional contracting sector for home décor products that includes furniture and furnishings, and home fittings and accessories among others. The other focus areas of the event are food and fashion,"

he added.

Besides interior décor, food, and fashion accessories companies, the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition will also host several chambers of commerce. Among them are Syracuse's Chamber of Commerce, Torino's Chamber of Commerce, Ragusa's Chambers of Commerce, Piedmont Chambers of Commerce, Puglia Chambers of Commerce, National Handicraft Confederation for small and medium Sardinia enterprise, National Handicraft Confederation for small and medium Torino enterprise, Confartgianato Benevento, Confartgianato Naples, Confartgianato Piemonte, Confederation of Craftsmen & Small and Medium Enterprise, Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, Province of Ragusa, Province of Siracusa, Toscana Promozione.