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This year's Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates Exhibition is hosting more than 200 exhibitors and featuring furniture, furnishings, interior décor products, food items, and fashion accessories.
"The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates has had three highly successful editions," said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of SCCI, after the inauguration ceremony.
"The exhibition is becoming increasingly popular in the region with every passing edition. The exhibition has established itself as the Middle East's only sourcing platform for authentic high quality Italian products and services. The event provides an opportunity to experience Italy's artistic excellence and industrial marvel right here in the UAE. The success of the exhibition also reflects on the excellent trade relations that UAE and Italy enjoy," he added.
According to the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade in Dubai, in 2006, Italian exports to the UAE reached Dh 16.4 billion (3.31 billion euros), an increase of 28.31 % over 2005. UAE's exports to Italy during the same year amounted to Dh 1.32 billion (268.23 million euros), an increase of 2.81 % over 2005.
Italy exported jewellery valued at over 400 million euros to the UAE in 2006. Exports of Italian clothing to the UAE reached 90 million euros during the same period, an increase of 47% over the previous year.
Export of Italian building materials to the UAE increased by 50% with export of pipes registering a 128 % rise while that of metals (excluding iron) growing by 245 %.
Italy's export of furniture to the UAE in 2006 amounted to Dh 485 million ( 98.3 million euros), up 11.9 % from Dh 433.13 million (87.8 million euros) in 2005.
The UAE continues to be Italy's leading trade partner in the GCC region followed by Saudi Arabia.
This year's Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition is occupying two halls of Expo Centre Sharjah measuring 8,000 sq. m. A major highlight of the event is a conference that will be held on the sidelines on May 30, 2007.
Titled "Scope for cooperation between Italian SMEs and the Middle East Contracting sector", it will be ideal to attend for personnel from Middle East-based contracting companies that are interested in either entering in to alliances with Italian furniture, furnishings, and building material companies, or sourcing authentic Italian products and services.
The Conference will be addressed by Mr. Mauro Agostini - Undersecretary of State, Ministry Of International Commerce, Govt. of Italy, Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman - Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mr. Gianfranco Caprioli - General Director of Investment & Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of International Commerce, Govt. of Italy, H.E. Dott. Paolo Dionisi - Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Dr. Sauro Servadei - Director of Promotion, ARTEX, Italy, Mr. Ahmad Bu Khater - Board Member, UAE Contractors Association, Mr. Giorgio Natalino Guerrini - President, CONFARTIGIANATO - Italy, Mr. Ivan Malavasi - President, C.N.A.- Italy, Ms. Paola Govoni - Partner CSIL Milano & Chief Editor of World Furniture, Mr. Gianluca Colombo - Toscana Contract Group, and Mr. Giorgio Palermo - Architect, Architectura Tecnologia Ambiente, Italy (ATA).
Subjects and issues to be taken up for discussion at the event include Trends in Furniture & Interior Design, Contract as an instrument for the internalization of the Small and Medium Italian enterprise, A business opportunity with the Toscana Contract Group in the Contracting sector, The Italian Design in the Emirates, Architectural Lighting & Interior.
"This year's Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition is evidently focused on the furniture, furnishings, interior décor products and home fittings and accessories sector,"
said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah.
"The focus is especially significant, given the construction boom that the region is currently experiencing. The event is a perfect avenue for Italian companies engaged in the manufacturing of building materials and other related items to firmly establish a foothold in the region. Given the profile, the exhibition is bound to attract large numbers of key personnel from the regional contracting sector," he added.
Within the GCC, the UAE is the largest construction market with more than USD $ 350 billion worth of active projects.
It is estimated that 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.
Besides interior décor products and building material companies, the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition is also hosting 50 well-known Italian food companies.
Food exhibits include 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.
Other than an expansive display, the Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition is featuring daily cooking demonstrations by the famous Italian chef, Umberto Creatini, from Tuscany.
Another area focus of the 2007 edition of the Italian lifestyle exhibition is fashion items and accessories. The event is featuring 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 items.
The Italian fashion industry boasts of 70,000 companies and 700,000 professionals with annual revenues exceeding 48 billion euro. The industry is admired the world over.
The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition, besides being the region's only sourcing platform for Italian goods and services, is a perfect avenue for exploring scope for tie-ups and partnerships with Italy-based companies. This year, several Italian chambers of commerce and trade promotion bodies are participating in the event.
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.
The Italian Lifestyle in the Emirates exhibition is being 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).
The exhibition is open for public and trade visitors from May 29 - June 1, 2007, 4 pm to 9 pm daily. For trade visitors, it is open exclusively from May 29 - 31, 2007, from 10 am to 1 pm.
Anne-Birte Stensgaard, Senior News Editor
