HE Humaid Mohammed Al Qutami to inaugurate the 1st Beverages Middle East Congress

The BevME Congress will be inaugurated by His Excellency Humaid Mohammed Al Qutami, UAE Minister of Health. The three-day Congress, to be held under the theme 'World Class Potential', will be an international confluence of more than 80 delegates from across the globe.

The first day of the Congress included a special tour of the state-of-the-art Masafi plant at Masafi, Ras Al Khaimah for the delegates and the media.

On January 23 - the day the Congress will be officially inaugurated at Mina Salaam at Madinat Jumeirah - Ashraf Abushady, Chief Executive Officer of Masafi, will make a keynote presentation on 'Water and Beyond'. The presentation will focus on varied aspects of the beverage industry in the region, including impacts of globalization and the success of Masafi's business model.

Talking about the BevME Congress, Abushady said: "Masafi is honoured to be playing a lead role in this prestigious Congress, which will bring together industry experts from all corners of the globe. Masafi has always strived to support projects that benefit the community and local economy. This high-profile event will help in further promoting Dubai as an international hub for attracting trade and investments worldwide. The Congress comes at a time when the regional beverage market is seeing unprecedented dominance in the worldwide markets."

The Congress assumes increased significance for the region given the fact that UAE leads the world in per capita liquid consumption. The world per capita consumption is 197 litres in 2006, while in the UAE, it is 635 litres a year - almost three times the global average. In the bottled water segment, the UAE leads the way in per capita consumption, registering 227 litres per year in 2006 whereas the world average was 29 litres.

He added: "Apart from being able to support a major Congress, the first of its kind in the region, the Congress will provide an ideal opportunity for Masafi to showcase our world-class and innovative products to the world."

BevME will enable regional industry leaders, suppliers, customers and analysts to gain a complete overview of the latest trends in the regional beverages industry, shedding light on innovation and future growth opportunities. The Congress is being organised by Zenith International, Specialist Consultants to international food and drinks industries, in collaboration with Beverage Innovation.

The themes of the other addresses of the Congress include global and Middle East beverage trends, emerging sectors and high growth opportunities for the beverage industry, latest beverage launches around the world, packaging innovation in the Middle East and marketing in a multicultural environment, among others.

Among the notable speakers to take part in the forum includes Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith, Roland Klein, Managing Director of WILD Flavours Middle East, Alan Salem, CEO of Dubai Refreshment Company and Andrew Phillips, Senior Vice-President of BPG Group. Industry experts are expected to exchange notes on best practices to address demand and supply concerns and contemplate solutions to address the crucial issues pertaining to the regional beverages industry. In addition to the captains of the industry, Habiba Al Marashi from the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) will make a presentation titled the 'Environmental issues for the beverages industry'.

Masafi, which has become a generic name for mineral and bottled water in the entire Gulf region, has regularly taken part in international exhibitions, as well as sponsored many international events including the Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai 2003 and the Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament.