PALME gets tough with copycats

PALME is taking a tough stand against the copycats to support legitimate companies in the professional audio, light and AV industries whose long term investment in product development and branding is threatened by the counterfeiters.

Dubai-based, Group Director of PALME, Neil Hickman, said: "Original manufactures and their authorised agencies exhibiting at our shows are understandably upset that copycat manufacturers are allowed to exhibit at certain other industry events."

"Having suffered ourselves from copycat events, we fully appreciate the considerable investment in research and development, not to mention the marketing budgets deployed to build brands."

"Therefore we have decided to make our stance public, not only to protect our exhibitors' brands and trade marks but also to support the industry as whole by driving out counterfeit goods and those who market them."

Potential counterfeiters are being warned that their stands will be closed and subsequently evicted from any PALME event as well as being blacklisted by IIR Exhibitions. To avoid confusion, a statement has confirmed exhibitors must own and have valid rights to manufacture, use, perform, sell and display patented products, copyright works, trademarks and trade names.

Information packs sent to exhibitors reiterate IIR Exhibitions' copycat policy for all of their professional audio, light and AV series of events including PALME Asia and PALME India, together with the INSTALL and Event 360 series of events.

"This is part of an ongoing campaign to address industry concerns over product piracy and copycat manufacturers," added Hickman. "The issue is a global one and we want to ensure all our events are fake-free. Counterfeit products stifle innovation and creativity, the very essence of our industry."

PALME Middle East 2008 takes place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) on April 27-29. It is the only dedicated trade show for the region's rapidly developing entertainment sectors, events areas, concert halls, shopping malls, commercial and residential developments, leisure and hotel facilities requiring professional sound, light, audio visual and systems integration solutions.

More than 272 exhibitors representing 800 companies attracted over 7,000 visitors to last year's event, securing the show's market position as the largest gathering of entertainment industry professionals throughout the region and reaffirming Dubai's status as the Middle East's entertainment hub.