'Luxury' hub Dubai to host Emirates Millionaire Show 2007

The move confirms Dubai's position at the head of the 'luxury' market and its emergence as the region's leading showcase for premier tier brands.

The show will now become the centerpiece of the Emirate's retail offering and has won top level support for the positioning, with the influential Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) agreeing to sign on as a partner. Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Al Najjar, CEO of Divine Group, said: "This show will become one of the events of the season for the region's elite."

The EMS 2007 exhibition programme and entertainment schedule will surpass anything seen before, Divine Events, the show's organiser, revealed during today's formal announcement. Mr. Al Najjar added: "The event has taken a giant leap forward, even from last year's outstanding debut at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi."

New figures unveiled by the EMS 2006 organisers confirmed it will live up to its billing as the richest show in the region and most exclusive gathering of its elite. Guests can expect three times the previous range of premium deluxe brands and at least twice the number of items developed exclusively for the show.

In an upbeat announcement, riding on a surge of interest from the world's most expensive international and regional brand marketeers, the EMS 2007 management team forecasted: "This will be by far the biggest event of its kind ever to take place."

They have been encouraged by the wave of demand from exhibitors keen to participate in an event guaranteed to entice the region's growing list of 'super rich' and ultra high net worth individuals. Top names from the previous show have already confirmed their attendance and there are plenty of newcomers to add to the list.

"We are bringing together the most exclusive luxury items in the world from the most sought after designers, creators and artists and displaying these to an audience with the wealth and the will to buy," said Mr. Al Najjar. "This is a unique opportunity for the invited guests to get first sight of some of the most luxurious items on the planet and to own them. No other event anywhere in the world guarantees the type of audience that will attend the EMS 2007 in Dubai."

Part of the attraction for exhibitors is a guest list flush with oil-generated wealth and a region that now boasts a disproportionate share of the world's richest people. Rich list compilers Forbes this year added seven newcomers to its class of 2007 billionaires in the Arab world. This represents a 25 per cent annual increase in the 30-strong total - who have a combined wealth of US$125.3 billion - far in excess of the 19.3 per cent average for the rest of the world's billionaires.

These have contributed to the $6.5 billion spent in the UAE alone on jewellery and helped make the Gulf diamond jewellery market the fourth largest in the world. The likes of Sothebys and Christie's, the world's top auctioneers, have recognized the increasing importance of the MENA market and set up shop in Dubai to tap its wealth. The International Art and Antiques Fair set a precedent and marked the first stage of Dubai's bid to become the principal art market centre in the region.

Now the emirate is fast emerging as a diamond trading hub. Leading global players such as De Beers and Rosy Blue have established a Dubai office and the top international diamond show was held here just a few months ago. The announcement that EMS 2007 will take place in Dubai is the final piece in the jigsaw and adds substance to the emirate's claims to be the first choice destination for luxury brands.

In the lead-in to the show, which will run from November 29 to December 1, 2007, the organiser will announce its high profile patron, the brand ambassadors, its impressive list of sponsors, and the entertainment schedule. They will also showcase individual items at invitation-only previews at selected locations around the City.

Last year Bahare Majd, Divine Group's Managing Director, promised: 'An invitation to EMS 2006 will be the ticket of the year.' This year's 'ticket' will open the door to the "greatest 'luxury' show in the region", she said.