Homes, gardens & appliances trade shows opened

The official opening ceremony was performed by Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of the Department of Information, who then undertook a complete tour of all seven halls.

The five shows - ISH Kitchen & Bathroom, Lightsyle Gulf Light, Gardening & Outdoor Living, Hardware & Tools, and Hometech Middle East - present around 900 exhibitors drawn from all corners of the globe. The events target the fast growing property development, building trades, interior and landscape design sectors. According to Michael El Nayal, Managing Partner of exhibition organisers Epoc Messe Frankfurt, "the shows present just about everything you could need to create, decorate, equip and light all sorts of properties."

All of the events have grown substantially over the past year since they were last staged. El Nayal said that "this was a consequence of the massive building boom resonating up and down the Gulf and across to the Red Sea. Residential, leisure, commercial developments and new hotels are popping up everywhere.

"Proof of the popularity of the shows not only is evident from the number and quality of exhibitors, but also the massive number of professional visitors," he said. During the three day programme at least 18,000 trade visitors are expected, many of whom have travelled from around the region to attend.

One of the biggest draws is the design led ISH Kitchen & Bathroom exhibition. With stunning displays of exquisite bathrooms and kitchens from exhibitors like Villeroy & Boch and Victoria & Albert Baths, the event is set to excite even the most mature interior designers.
It also features the biggest display yet, measuring 350m, from RAK Ceramics, the world's third largest producer of ceramics, who are featuring four complete rooms sets.

Appliances, household and kitchen equipment are the focus of Hometech Middle East which spans two massive halls. Miele and GE present stunning displays amidst an exhibition that presents gadgets for just about every part of a modern day home.

From appliances and onto lights, Lightsyle Gulf Light is the region's only dedicated design lighting trade exhibition. This has around 180 participating companies and 7 national pavilions, and has grown threefold since the first event last year. Featuring industry leaders such as Philips Lighting and Osram, the exhibition offers inspiration to all aspiring lighting and electrical specialists.

Moving into the world of exteriors, the Gardening, Landscaping & Outdoor Living show has also grown dramatically, in fact by 75% compared to the previous show. Featuring everything from irrigation systems and swimming pools, to stone sculptures from Zimbabwe, landscape specialists will literally have a field day.

The largest of the shows in terms of exhibitor numbers is the Hardware & Tools exhibition, with 260 exhibitors from 14 countries. Some of the biggest names in the business are participating including power tools from Dewalt, Bosch and AEG. There are national pavilions from Germany, Italy, and China along with high level trade delegation from Spain. Egypt too is strongly represented through the HEDO Group, exhibiting a range of power tools, welding equipment and air compressors.

The shows open daily between 10AM - 1PM and from 5PM - 9PM, until Tuesday 17 May.