Gulf Pack & Gulf Print open on Sunday

Scheduled to take place at Dubai Airport Expo from 19-22 September 2004, the show is being organised by Fairs & Exhibitions Ltd, famous for organising events in the Gulf area for nearly 25 years.

Already 5 times larger than the last shows held in 2003, Gulf Pack has attracted 220 exhibitors while Gulf Print has attracted 120 exhibitors from as far as Australia, India, China, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Some of the biggest names in the industries are participating such as HP, Heidelberg, Creo, Tetra Pak, Al Thika, SIG Combibloc, Mosca, Clearpack and many others, all keen to participate in the show which will help them reach their target audiences in the Middle East.
Visitors can expect to meet a wide range of potential suppliers from packaging machinery and technology, to packaging producers, labelling and date coding equipment. The Printing part of the show will offer new machines, new innovations and the latest technologies.

The exhibition will open with a spectacular show sponsored by Tetra Pak and HP and will set the mood for a show packed with events, workshops, seminars and the first ever Graphic Design and Packaging Design student awards.

According to Sharla Hancock, Gulf Pack Project Manager, "Gulf Pack and Gulf Print have decided to make attendance at the show much more valuable by engaging exhibitors and visitors in a very informative seminar and workshop program. This has attracted speakers from leading packaging, printing and graphics companies, as well as the World Packaging Organisation (WPO)."

Industry leaders such as Tetra Pak, HP, Heidelberg, Clearpack, and Layout ME will present seminars and workshops specifically targeted to their respective industries.

"Dr Carl Olsmats, General Secretary of the World Packaging Organisation will be coming in especially from Sweden to deliver the keynote address after the VIP opening ceremony on the first day," explained Hancock. He will present a paper entitled A Global Perspective on Packaging, something which will greatly interest the fast growing local packaging industry.

The Exhibition will be used by the UAE's own International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) with the unveiling of the new model displaying the development of their unique free zone project. This is likely to be one of the highlights of the event with many investors keen to sign up for a slice of the free zone's action.

Reaching out to local academic institutions is another objective of Gulf Pack and Gulf Print. According to Dominic McGill, Gulf Print Project Manager, "Fairs and Exhibitions wanted to bridge the gap between industry and academic institutions in order to encourage students to think about design and its applications. The awards, launched in February this year, have had entries from six institutions from around the UAE and saw over 75 entries into five categories of Graphic Design and Packaging Design."

"The Awards have also attracted sponsors who are keen to support tertiary education in the UAE," said McGill. "Winners will be announced on Monday 20 September at 11am on the Media Stage.