Sahara and Inma launch 'Made in GCC' initiative

The agreement was signed in a special ceremony by Mr Fahad Al Deeb, Vice President of Sahara Group, and Mr Aref Al-Abbar, Director General of INMA Exhibitions.

The new alliance announced their promotional plan for next year, which includes holding four exhibitions in the emerging markets of Sudan, Lebanon, Algeria and Kazakhstan. These countries have been chosen because they seek to bring in suppliers and investors from GCC countries whose companies, enterprises and factories will reap many benefits by opening new markets and various marketing channels.

Commenting on the agreement, Mr Al-Deeb said, "We are delighted to team up with INMA Exhibitions to take GCC products to emerging markets that are interested in cooperating with GCC companies to benefit from their distinguished, diversified and quality products. This is not the first time we have worked in cooperation with INMA to organize events, but it is certainly the largest cooperation between our two companies in terms of scale. We hope to make the occasion so positive that all set objectives can be achieved, by moving GCC industries beyond the region's boundaries to more countries of the world, with a particular view to diversifying and supporting economic sectors, especially the industrial sector."

Speaking on behalf of INMA, Mr Al-Abbar said:

"'Made in GCC' is only the first of a series of joint activities and exhibitions we look forward to holding in collaboration with SAHARA. We will, of course, do our best to ensure that our activities are advantageous for GCC countries and their economic sectors, and to reinforce cooperation between the GCC and the countries where we hold our exhibitions."

According to figures released in the report of the Investment Horizons Conference held in Riyadh earlier this year, GCC economies are 80 percent open and GCC foreign trade volume is worth USD800 billion - double the 2003 figure of USD400billion. This increase has been spurred by the remarkable increase in oil prices over the last few years, coupled with the successful efforts made by GCC countries to boost their non-oil exports.

Sahara Group was established in 2002 in Dubai as a private company in the field of public relation services. In just a few years it expanded its activities significantly to achieve impressive successes in the GCC region and internationally, and it now has more than ten branches worldwide. Sahara also diversified its services beyond PR, adding two more units: one specializing in media monitoring and the other in market research and economic reports and studies, in addition to delivering marketing, advertising and management services to its clients.

Sahara has also succeeded in establishing a number of strategic alliances, including a significant agreement with Washington-based Zoghbi International Organization and a bilateral agreement with Kuwait's Al Mazaya Holding to establish the first real estate index in the GCC region. Sahara has also collaborated with several companies to enrich its services, one example being the signing of an agreement with SPICA for the electronic services that have become the foundation of the technical arm of Sahara Group.

Over the past ten years, Inma has organized promotional exhibitions in several Arab countries, such as Iraq, Sudan and Algeria, in which many GCC companies and investors participated, giving Inma the opportunity to gain great expertise in organizing and managing exhibitions.