UAE's premier exhibition centre eye tie-up

The details of the agreement were discussed during a meeting between Mr Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and Mr Saif Al Sabousi, Venue Manager; and Mr Amer Qadoura, Senior Sales Executive, from Al Ain Convention Centre. It was also attended by Ms Lilian Fernandes, Director-Sales, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"This is the first time Expo Centre Sharjah is going to partner with an exhibition organizer within the country. While this will be a feather in the cap of Expo Centre Sharjah, it also speaks volumes about the strong ties of the UAE federation and efforts undertaken by local entities to extend coordination and collaboration within the country for mutual benefit," said Mr Midfa after the meeting that was held recently.

"At the moment we are exploring the possibilities of holding some of our shows in Al Ain that will help bring better trade traffic to the western region. The industry in the area will benefit greatly from this move," said Mr Midfa.

Industry observers see the move as a new challenge as well as an opportunity for Expo Centre Sharjah to recreate the success of its trade shows in the Garden City, by catering to the entire western region as well as the bordering Oman, which lies in close proximity.

"We will be looking at complementing the existing events at Al Ain Convention Centre and aim at tapping into the industries and industrial clusters that are thriving there. Consumer shows too hold good prospects in Al Ain," added Mr Midfa.

Expo Centre Sharjah has achieved several new milestones this year, be it the launch of several new trade shows, alliances with regional and global entities, exclusive content or continued success of its established exhibitions.

With a total exhibition area of 42,000 sq m, Expo Centre Sharjah's halls feature state-of-the-art facilities and it organizes and hosts more than 20 trade and consumer shows every year. A sister establishment, Expo Khor Fakkan, became operational last year and some of the shows are simultaneously held at ECS and Khor Fakkan.