Regional wedding industry boom results in record sales for UAE based bridal shows

Results of an independent survey carried out at this year's Bride Show Dubai show that 43 per cent of respondents who were planning a wedding proposed to spend more than Dhs 100,000 on their nuptuals with 12 per cent planning to shell out a staggering Dhs 500,000 or more.

The survey was commissioned by IIR (The Institute for International Research) which has organised The Bride Show Dubai since 2004. The company has doubled the size of the event since taking it over and turned it into the largest bridal show in the Middle East. IIR also recently acquired the Abu Dhabi Wedding Show and rebranded it as The Bride Show Abu Dhabi.

Geoffrey Booy, Group Exhibitions Director for IIR Middle East, said, "The wedding sector is a multi million-dollar industry growing at 20 per cent per annum globally. The UAE is one of the most affluent markets in the world where traditionally weddings are very important and no expense is spared.

"The relatively high spend and tremendous growth of the wedding industry in this region mean that The Bride Shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the places to be for industry players wanting to capture this lucrative market."

The survey also reveals that 46 per cent of respondents planned to invite more than 500 people to their wedding with 15 per cent drawing up a guest list of more than 1,000. Spending on jewellery for the wedding was also high with 47 per cent proposing to spend more than Dhs 30,000 with 16 per cent spending over Dhs 100,000.

The growing importance of the bridal industry in the region has been reflected in the speed that exhibition space for the two exhibitions is selling out. The team behind The Bride Show Dubai, which next takes place from April 10 - 13, 2007 in Dubai International Exhibition Centre, has already sold 70 per cent of the floor space - more than double than at the same time last year.

A quarter of the exhibition space for The Bride Show Abu Dhabi sold out within a month of IIR first announcing that it had acquired the show. The next show, from March 13 - 16, 2007, will take place in the new Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Centre, an architecturally iconic exhibition complex due for completion by the end of this year.

Both shows feature suppliers of all products and services necessary for a perfect wedding day, from haute couture fashion, crystal embellished accessories and jewellery to photography, flower design and wedding cakes. They are targeted principally at Emirati ladies and their families as well as expatriate Arabs.

Geoffrey Booy said, "Companies involved in the wedding sector regard these events as unique opportunities to showcase their products and services and are keen to reserve their space well in advance. The popularity of The Bride Show Abu Dhabi has also been boosted by the fact that it will take place in the new exhibition centre."

IIR hopes to attract 36,000 visitors and 400 exhibitors to The Bride Show Dubai, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2007, compared with 29,000 visitors and 301 exhibitors in 2006. The company also hopes to expand the number of exhibitors at The Bride Show Abu Dhabi to 250, compared with 170 in 2006, and attract upwards of 30,000 visitors.

Both exhibitions will include daily fashion shows featuring top local, Lebanese and international designers. The popular Swarovksi Young Designers Awards will be returning to The Bride Show Dubai giving students from local fashion design colleges the chance to compete for a range of titles.

The Dubai show also features daily competitions with a top prize of a full honeymoon package. A separate section, titled Ambiente Al Bayt Al Arabie, was first launched in 2006 and focuses on home furnishings and decoration reflecting the latest interior design trends in the Arab market.