Hotel Show registers 40 per cent growth as suppliers tap in to expanding Middle East hospitality business

A total of 425 companies are participating, occupying four halls and The Pavilion at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre where The Hotel Show takes place from 22-24 May. This reflects the growing international interest in the event and the buoyant state of the region's rapidly expanding hospitality industry.

Among a record 41 countries represented at the exhibition, Germany has generated the largest number of exhibitors with 39 participants this year, followed by, Spain and Portugal (21 each). Italy has shown the biggest increase in the number of exhibitors over last year.

The Hotel Show's major attraction for exhibitors is its targeted audience of hotel managers, developers and owners, as well as interior designers, architects and specifiers from the Middle East and beyond, who make purchasing decisions on behalf of some of the most exciting hotel projects in the world.

"The Gulf region is now a major market for hotel suppliers around the world, and we've even had bookings from manufacturers in countries such as Finland and Hungary where we have not even marketed the event," said Bernard Walsh, Managing Director of dmg world media Dubai Ltd, organisers of The Hotel Show.

"While the show is becoming bigger the products and services showcased are also becoming increasingly diverse and a visit to the event will supply a hotel procurement manager with pretty much everything they are looking for in no time at all" Walsh added.

On show this year is a staggering variety of goods for hotels, resorts, spas and restaurants - from the latest leisure equipment, to furniture, accessories and high-tech guest entertainment systems. For many first-time exhibitors, such as Greek bed and table linen manufacturer ETOILE bleue, The Hotel Show presents a unique chance to find distributors or agents in the Gulf market.

Porcelain tableware specialists Manufacture De Monaco, the official supplier to Monaco's ruling family, will also be seeking Middle East partners to market its top-range products.

"Over 15 per cent of our turnover is from the Middle East where we supply a number of prestigious private clients, and we see much more potential for our products here," said
J. Rozewicz, the company's owner.

Almost a quarter of all exhibition space has been booked by UAE-based companies. These include Nakkash Gallery, an interior design consultancy which is also the local distributor for several high-end furniture brands, including one of the world's leading manufacturers of outdoor furniture, Dedon. Nakkash Gallery will be giving a Middle East exhibition debut to the new Dedon outdoor furniture collections.