Palme Middle East on course for 20% growth

The show, which runs from April 27-29 at Dubai's International Exhibition Centre, has already expanded into Hall 4 to accommodate the extraordinary growth in the Event 360 vertical sector. With Palme now occupying an unprecedented five halls (plus the Pavilion) show organiser Alex Heuff has revealed that stand space for the sixth edition of the show is already 70% sold with five months to go.

Event 360

The change of emphasis placed on Palme Middle East 2008 by show organisers, IIR Exhibitions, has attracted a raft of first time exhibitors; one such participant in the Event 360 sector, Purple Fire, has immediately become a platinum sponsor.

The repositioning of Event 360, which will target the growing number of event managers throughout the GCC's meetings and incentives industry with a programme of conferences and awards, spearheads a package of improvements at this year's show.

One of these will be a special Live Sound Stage which is being constructed in Hall 4 while once again LOBO will present a dynamic laser display.

Install Middle East

Another innovation will be a fully-integrated Smart Residential Homes zone, constructed on 80 sq metres in Hall 8 and sponsored by AMX and major residential distributors, EON. This is likely to provide one of the highlights of the Install sector.

This feature is highly significant as it was recently announced that the value of all GCC real estate projects in the last year has increased by a staggering 59% to $143bn.

'Real estate is now the fastest growing sector in Saudi Arabia,' reports Mr. Heuff. 'As such we will be targeting the whole of the GCC, and this will be reflected in both the Commercial & Residential sectors of the Install Middle East vertical.'

Musac

Although Palme Middle East remains essentially a B2B show, the event will take on a party vibe in Hall 6's Musac vertical sector, with the Pioneer-sponsored Palme DJ Competition; mouth-watering prizes include $20,000 worth of prizes and record company contracts.

It is a further indication of the show's willingness to move out of its natural habitat and into the local community - hosting the heats of the prestigious DJ Competition in world-famous Dubai clubs.

Lining up alongside will be some of the region's record companies - providing yet another new feature - and international MI giants such as Yamaha.

'Education will remain at the top of our agenda, and we will be supporting this sector with a programme of seminars and workshops,' promises Mr. Heuff. Among organisations participating will be the SAE Institute, the world's largest audio engineering training facility.

Lighting

The boom in commercial project development - such as the 156-storey Burj Dubai, due for completion next year - will run hand in hand with PALME's architectural lighting sector. Companies such as Martin Professional will again be heavily involved, while the Middle East Lighting Design Awards (MELDA) gala dinner will build on last year's prestigious inaugural event.

Summing up, Alex Heuff says, 'To manage this year's growth it has been necessary to organise the show into clearly defined sectors, and people will certainly notice the difference.

'Because of the campaign we are delivering, which is designed to encompass the entire GCC, we are confident that visitor figures will rise. Due to the exploding incentives industry in the Gulf we are anticipating a totally new audience, with corporate and event managers joining our established visitor base.'

Palme Middle East takes place April 27-29, 2008 in Halls 4-8 and The Pavilion at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. Opening hours are 11am-7pm daily.