Bahrain and Singapore are closing ranks in exhibition and convention business

Ms. Dilys Yong Mee Hiong is also the President of the SINGAPORE ASSOCIATION OF EXHIBITION ORGANIZERS AND SUPPLIERS (SACEOS) and Group President of HQ Link Pte. Ltd. Singapore, which is one of the largest trade show organizers in Asia with a portfolio of over 20 specialized exhibitions and trade shows held every year in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

TRANSLINK Pte. Ltd., which is the largest exhibition freight forwarding company in Asia, has recently been acquired by PWC Logistics, Kuwait and is very keen to bring its expertise in exhibition freight forwarding to Bahrain and to the Middle East and to introduce new professional exhibition freight forwarding services to enhance the service quality of the regional freight forwarding industry.

Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, Asst. Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry and Commerce held discussions with Ms. Dilys Yong Mee Hiong to explore the development of a close cooperation with AFECA and SACEOS.

There are many similarities between Bahrain and Singapore in terms of business infrastructure, especially since both countries are island nations, business and financial centres and gateways to their respective regions. Therefore it makes perfect sense to close ranks between Bahrain and Singapore in the development of the services industry and in particular in the cooperation of the exhibitions and meetings industry, which is the most efficient business generator and the most effective marketing and promotion tool to attract investments, know-how as well as new goods, services and technologies.

To advance the cooperation between Bahrain and Singapore and other Asian exhibition cities, it has been agreed to invite AFECA and SACEOS Members for a research mission to Bahrain to gain first-hand personal experience about Bahrain's business and exhibition infrastructure and to explore the immense business potential for professionally organized exhibitions and trade shows organized in Bahrain, which provide the exhibitors and participants an ideal point for market entry and are an efficient marketing platform with easy access to the fast growing economies in the Middle East, North and East Africa, Central and Western Asia.

As a further result of the visit, Ms. Dilys Yong Mee Hiong in her capacity as Group President of HQ Link Pte. Ltd. has immediately committed to launch a series of highly specialized trade shows in Bahrain and this should be a clear signal for other event organizers that the Kingdom of Bahrain is a world-class exhibition city, which is ready for more business with the international business community.

The cooperation between the exhibition industries from Bahrain and Singapore on one hand and the cooperation between AFECA, SACEOS and the Bahrain Convention & Exhibition Bureau (BCEB) on the other hand will be a further important milestone in the development of Bahrain's exhibitions and trade show industry and it will be instrumental for the economic development and increase of trade between Asia and the Middle East.