High growth for Mid East wedding industry

Jessica Sutherland, Managing Director of IIR Exhibitions & Conferences, organisers Bride, the annual exhibition for the discerning bride-to-be and wedding day organisers, said: "There is Government pressure on couples not too spend too much on lavish weddings and there are grants on offer to help grooms who marry Emerati women, but even if the average spend per wedding falls, the industry is still facing a boom.

"At present we estimate the wedding market to be worth around $2 billion to $3 billion a year in the region and that is about the same size as the sound, lighting and audio visual industry.

"About 70 to 75 per cent of the Middle East's population in is aged under 20 and this generation will be planning weddings over the next few years."

Bride 2004 runs at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) until Thursday night. The show has more than 170 exhibitors and 40 per cent more floor space than last year.

The annual event was bought by IIR Exhibitions & Conferences, which plans to globalise the exhibitor profile over the next few years. Bride 2004 features up to 20 high-end couture fashion shows promoting the work of top designers from throughout the Middle East and India.

A Young Designers award show will be the finale of Bride 2004. Sponsored by Swarovski, this high-profile award will see 29 selected entrants from five of Dubai and Sharjah's top design colleges vying for the prize of an internship at Sohad's studio, a leading UAE fashion house.