Arab Health leads as MENA region's No. 1 healthcare industry event

The event, which is the largest healthcare event in the MENA region and the second in the world with 3500 exhibiting companies and more than 7,000 conference delegates, will provide a cross-industry platform for the leading global healthcare companies, hospitals, medical providers and potential consumers, to dialogue and discuss the future of the global healthcare industry.

The MENA region's healthcare market is one of the most sought after global markets for healthcare investments. A multitude of factors, including more active government investment, and initiatives to develop a structured policy and regulatory environment conducive to the growth of private sector contribution, will continue to drive the growth of the MENA region's healthcare market.

According to a recent report from Deloitte & Touche, this growth can also be witnessed in various government healthcare initiatives across the region including a healthcare budget of approx. $21.3bn for 2012-13 in Saudi Arabia, as well as the plans to develop a healthcare city near Muscat in Oman with an estimated budget of $774m - 1bn, and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health's recent announcement of a $4bn healthcare budget which is a 100% increase from the $2bn budget five years ago.

Commenting on the growth trend in the region's healthcare sectors, His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, said: "The UAE's robust health sector has been witnessing rapid growth over the last few years and we can foresee a continuation in this trend. Hosting, supporting and attending conferences, such as Arab Health, is an important aspect of our strategy as we strongly believe that such events provide an opportunity for healthcare providers from the region and abroad to showcase latest advances in healthcare, which directly helps in the growth and development of the sector."

In the MENA region, healthcare exhibitions are fast becoming the preferred destination for raising brand visibility, new product marketing, intelligence gathering and thought leader discussions and debates. His Excellency Engineer Al Maidoor highlighted that Dubai has emerged as a leading destination for hosting exhibitions and conferences due to the host of factors such as the Emirate's strategic location, excellent infrastructure and hospitality.

According to Simon Page, Managing Director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, organisers of Arab Health: "As global healthcare exhibition organisers, we are seeing very buoyant growth in emerging market territories where trade shows continue to be a major source of buyer and seller interaction. The extreme pressure these markets are undergoing to offer world-class medical treatment and improve efficiency levels, is providing the ideal environment that is conducive to medical innovation. Once again, the Arab Health exhibition is a complete sell out. This year we have more than 200 new exhibitors who are being accommodated in the new Plaza Halls which were specially constructed by the venue for Arab Health. The Arab Health philosophy of "Exhibition with Education" continues to build a large conference portfolio consisting of 19 healthcare conferences that comprises the world's largest multi-track series of healthcare conferences. This year the Arab Health Congress will be further enhanced with the addition of the Diabetes, the Complimentary Medicine and the Big Data Conferences."

The main objectives for exhibitors at Arab Health are to find new business, build new and existing relationships with the industry, educate their audience and build brand awareness. The audience at Arab Health changes and develops subtly as the healthcare market changes.

"For Siemens, Arab Health is one of the most important platforms, both regionally and globally, to showcase its latest innovations in healthcare and, at the same time, to demonstrate our commitment to the Middle East region," said Waclaw Lukowicz, CEO, Middle East, Siemens Healthcare. "As the healthcare sector in the Middle East continues to develop and evolve rapidly, technological advancement is key to assisting in this transformation. We have been, and will continue, supplying the region with the latest cutting-edge innovations that support our customers in fighting the most threatening diseases, raise quality and productivity, and enhance access to healthcare."