Increased focus on specific product sectors announced by The Office Exhibition 2006

In addition to the event's wide-ranging displays of the very latest in office furniture and the latest global advances in technologies (including acoustics, lighting and ergonomics) that together contribute to the creation of a working environment that maximises staff well-being and productivity, new dedicated areas have been created for specialist areas including audio visual, multi media presentation and intelligent technology systems - the systems that facilitate total functionality.

"In Office, we have a show that already comprehensively addresses the actual working environment," said Paula Al Chami, Project Manager, dmg world media Dubai Ltd. "Having talked to exhibitors about their long-term objectives and asked visitors about the areas that are of specific interest to them, it became clear that the next phase of the show's development had to focus on the products and sectors that are often the deciding factors between an office being merely good and one that is a unique and highly effective combination of aesthetics and total functionality."

The Office Exhibition was created and developed to allow professionals involved in the design and planning of offices to see the latest products and meet leading experts to discuss the new concepts that influence design and planning.

As the show moves into its 5th year, all of the indications are that it will build on the success of previous years. "In 2005, Office attracted 7,889 high quality professional trade visitors - an 80% increase on the previous year," added Al Chami. "The event featured exhibitors from 28 countries representing 141 companies plus 6 national groups representing Italy, the UK, Malaysia, Portugal, Turkey and China."

Underpinning the wide appeal of The Office Exhibition both in the MENA region and internationally, while 75% of registered trade visitors in 2005 came from the UAE, the balance included 12% from Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states, plus 13% from other countries, with significant numbers from Europe, India, Pakistan, Iran and North Africa.

Importantly, the effectiveness of the event is extremely high, due to visitor quality and the delivery of the region's key decision makers. 88% of 2004 exhibitors said that they achieved most of their objectives and 73% rated the visitor quality as good or excellent.

Evidence of this was the typical 2005 exhibitor reaction, which included; "We felt that this was one event that it was imperative to have a presence at if we wanted to reach decision makers and enter the GCC markets. The quality of visitors has been superb. Not only have we taken bookings at the show, but without any follow up we received calls to place orders." (Francisco Duarte, FAMO - Industria de Mobiliario de Escritorio, Portugal), and "What is very remarkable about this show is that you don't see visitors flooding all over your stand taking brochures and catalogues. Rather than this we saw quality visitors, serious architects, interior designers, contractors and businessmen ready to talk business." (Ziyad Abdullah, Burotime Office Furniture, Turkey).

Among the many regional and international brands that have already confirmed participation, are Haworth Inc., (represented in the UAE by Gemaco Interiors), Vitra AG (Switzerland), Ahrend Int. (The Netherlands), Lammhults Mobel AB (Sweden) and Herman Miller (represented by H2O Concepts). Independent Audio Visual (IVA), who are currently involved in a number of major installation projects throughout the UAE, are just one of the companies at the cutting edge of the AV, multimedia and presentation technology sector who will be displaying their expertise at Office 2006.

The 5th annual Office Exhibition takes place at Dubai International Exhibition Centre from June 4-6, 2006 - with heavy demand for floorspace, industry professionals can look forward to seeing the most comprehensive showcase of office products, services and technology ever seen in the Middle East.