Big is beautiful for Beautyworld

With 40% more visitors this year, compared to last year's from all around the region meeting 750 exhibitors from over 45 countries, these numbers speak for themselves. Not least of all because many of the exhibitors have already signed up to return in 2007.

According to Diana Taylor, group exhibition manager for organisers Messe Frankfurt Dubai,

'I am overwhelmed with the response that we had, it was most certainly a record breaking show for us both in terms of exhibitors and visitor numbers.'

She went on to explain that the beauty sector's 12% annual growth within the Middle East highlights how lucrative the region is. 'With Europe offering value growth of less than 2%, it's not surprising that our figures in the Gulf of ten times that are so attractive to international suppliers,' she said.

This sentiment was borne out by one of the largest trade groups at the fair, UBI France. Commenting on behalf of UBI France, Maria David, Project Manager said 'this exhibition is one of the most important in the world for us, as the region is growing by 20% annually and it gives us access to India and Iran. This year we have 38 companies participating, a 40% increase compared to last year and this will grow significantly for next year's show. French companies have also witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of products that they export to the Middle East and again this will increase year on year as the market continues to grow.'

A further 20 national pavilions and trade associations took part featuring new and established countries. These included Argentina, Brazil, the UK, Thailand, Japan, and Korea. Long time supporters such as Germany and Turkey were there, in addition to Italy, Spain and the Far East - all eager to develop business opportunities in the gulf region.

Ken Chan, Regional Marketing Manager for Dermatics stated 'We have participated in several exhibitions around the world, however, this one is the most important for us as it gives us access to the whole of the Middle East and Africa. We have had visitors from all over the world to our stand and in the first 5 hours of the show opening we established several potential investors. We are now in the process of negotiating business deals with 5 different companies who we have met at the show.'

The show was also brought to life through an extensive programme of demonstrations, competitions and live events. From fashion shows, hair cutting, nail competitions, body art and makeovers to spa and facial treatments, all were presented by true professionals from around the world.