Theme Parks & Fun Centres 2005 concludes on a new high

Mega deals were signed during the event & major projects will be announced shortly. The Exhibition was officially inaugurated by H.E. Qassim Sultan, Director General, Dubai Municipality at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

TPFC 2005 has once again set the tone for the Industry that has displayed spectacular growth and performance over the years. This year's trade show witnessed a record turn out of 150 companies from over 26 countries, besides the support of various International & Industry associations like American Amusement Machines Association (AAMA), International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA) and the Themed Entertainment Association amongst others.

The show registered a visitor attendance of 5554 from 70 countries, with maximum visitor turnout from UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Kuwait, Bahrain and United Kingdom. The visitors included Trade professionals, Theme Park and FEC owners, Retail and Themed Properties and Distributors apart from international media.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, President, International Expo Consults, the event organisers stated "TPFC just keeps getting bigger & better year after year. The Amusement & Entertainment market in the region is already worth US$ 10 billion a year and is growing at a phenomenal 27% per annum. The last 2-3 years have seen truly MEGA projects like the themed Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, The Pearl-Qatar, Iceberg Towers in Bahrain & numerous other major recreational developments in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait & Lebanon being commissioned. The trends in this region are clearly moving towards Entertainment & leisure projects on a grand scale. Keeping this in Mind we have decided to rename TPFC as DEAL - The Dubai Entertainment Amusement & Leisure Show. DEAL will incorporate all the existing products and categories of TPFC and apart from that will add the emerging categories of Amusement, Leisure, Entertainment sectors also."

The exhibitors also seem too agree about the importance of TPFC as the Industry platform for the MENA region. Favourable feedback has ensured from participants at TPFC. Several MEGA deals were discussed and many are in the pipeline according to an Exhibition spokesman.

Speaking about their successful participation Mr. Herman Schenk, Westec, Switzerland stated "We have got both quantity & quality response from the trade visitors. Sales too have been great. We have been participating in TPFC since its inception & will continue to be associated with the show. We're extremely satisfied by our participation"

Another satisfied participant was Mr. Gianni Leonetti, Director ME, Klarer, who stated "This is our first participation at TPFC to showcase our products & brands for the MENA region. The exhibition is attracting very high quality serious business visitors. We have got numerous business leads & queries. We are looking at least 3 MEGA projects to be signed up. The potential of this market is huge!"

Another contented participant was Mr. Baldwin Francis, Marketing Manager, Middle East, Tab Austria, who stated, "We have got quality response from the trade visitors. The show is bigger & better organised than before. We have got at least 50 orders, which will definitely affect our bottom line positively. So we are extremely satisfied with the results."

Similar accolades have also come from other companies that found the Exhibition beneficial. Among these is Qubica, Italy, whose Word-wide Sales Manager, Mr. Gian Anestis Avraam, said, "This is our second participation. As a young bowling company, we have got a quality response here. We are serious about the MENA markets & through this exhibition hope to finalise at least 2-3 projects. Thanks to this exhibition we are confident of setting up our office in UAE."

First Time participants VIV ltd. from Poland had every reason to feel elated, as their Sales Director, Mr. Robert Kuta, "We have got quality response & lots of visitors. Sales have been brisk. Numerous leads to be followed up. The future looks bright. We'll definitely be back next year."

Mr. Yasser Goneid, Regional Manager, Middle East, Zamperela, Italy, said "The exhibition is bigger & better than last year, more participation, and more customers esp. from Iraq, Sudan & Kuwait. The organisers were very helpful. We have numerous leads & see a major future potential."

TPFC to be relaunched as DEAL in 2006
TPFC will now be renamed as DEAL - THE DUBAI ENTERTAINMENT, AMUSEMENT AND LEISURE SHOW in 2006, and will be showcased at the Dubai World Trade Centre, in April 2006.

The rationale behind DEAL

For last eleven years, TPFC has mirrored the colossal developments and growth that has taken place in the GCC countries. Now with the Amusement markets growing to include many more concepts in Leisure, Entertainment and Edutainment, DEAL was conceived. DEAL 2006 will have everything TPFC is known for, Manufacturers, Distributors, Service providers, Consultants in Amusement Industry and will additionally incorporate the new emerging sectors within the broad spectrum of Amusement and Leisure markets.

The change of name reflects the organisers' objective to bring a more diverse portfolio of Products, Services, and Concepts related to Entertainment and Leisure industry under one roof. DEAL 2006 will appeal to a wider range of trade visitors in the rapid growing market of more than 50 countries.