Packaging & printing trade fairs open

Gulf Pack and Gulf Print's official unveiling was performed by HE Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer. Featuring over 350 exhibitors from 43 countries, including the largest names in the business such as Heidelberg, HP, Xerox and Crown, the trade fairs have grown by a third in a little over a year. Gulf Pack and Gulf Print is open daily from 11AM - 8PM until Wednesday.

According to Gulf Pack's Project Manager, Ms Sharla Hancock, visitors from around the region and beyond have registered for the shows. "We're confident that we'll attract even more trade visitors than last year., mostly from around the Gulf and Iran, but many come from the countries in Africa and South West Asia."

Dairy and liquid food packaging features heavily at Gulf Pack. World leaders Tetra Pak are presenting a series of in-depth seminars as well as offering a specially produced Peach Tea drink for this year's show. Sympak from Italy were also delighted to attend, having secured major contracts with the Middle East's largest dairy company, Almarai.

Running parallel to Gulf Pack is the region's largest print technology event, Gulf Print. With 150 specialist exhibitors, Gulf Print has grown by 40% in just over a year. Lina Alousta, Project Manager, said that the show has always enjoyed popular support amongst many local agents and international manufacturers. "We're delighted to welcome so many new exhibitors to the show like Xerox and Agfa, and to welcome back our loyal clients such as HP and Heildelberg."

The opening day also saw the first in a series of Ask the User Forum's where publishers, commercial printers and packaging suppliers were able to share their experiences with prospective buyers. The panel discussion was attended by customers of Heidelberg, Presstek, Agfa and Creo facilitated by the internationally acclaimed expert, Keith Hevenor.