AS MANY as 140 exhibitors are set to take part in next month’s gulfBID 2009, the leading exhibition and effective sourcing opportunity for the construction and interiors industry in the Northern Gulf.

Held under the patronage of Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the show runs from May 5 to 7 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIEC) in Bahrain and is organised by Al Hilal Group and dmg world media Dubai.
Now in its fourth year and firmly imprinted on the Northern Gulf exhibition calendar, gulfBID brings leading suppliers, brands, equipment and services face to face with clients and buyers for both of these sectors.
Despite the current downturn, gulfBID – being strategically placed in the central hub of the still-buoyant markets of the Northern Gulf encompassing Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait – provides the perfect setting for exhibitors of construction and interiors products to continue to do business in a market where there is still a high demand.
“Whilst we acknowledge that there has been a slight downturn in the current climate, we are happy to be able to report that the pace of construction projects announced in the Northern Gulf still seems to be outstripping the rest of the world,” says Kim Willis, the exhibition director of the Bahrain-based Al Hilal Group.
“This in turn, of course, sets the demand for the interiors products and services needed for both commercial and residential fit-outs,” she notes, adding that there was still easily enough demand to see interiors products manufacturers and retailers “profitably through certainly the next few years, by which time the economy should have self-corrected”.
In essence, gulfBID remains Bahrain’s foremost construction and contemporary interiors event and is seen as a fundamental platform for companies to boost annual sales, giving a high level of visibility for those companies based in the region, and providing opportunities for business in the region for those international companies that will be present for the show.
The show will feature national pavilions representing Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and China, as well as individual companies from 120 countries.
Nearly 5,000 visitors attended the event last year, with a large percentage of them coming from Saudi Arabia, the region’s financial powerhouse. These included architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, buyers, specifiers, designers, agents and distributors. Similar numbers are expected this year.
Last year’s event was declared a resounding success and the best-ever in its three-year history with a number of exhibitors also having clinched mega deals.
Alomi Real Wood Flooring stole the show in deals, announcing contracts worth $1 million each on the first and second days of the exhibition.
“No other show so successfully connects specifiers with exhibitors. The environment is perfect for unveiling new products, raising brand awareness and showcasing the best products and designs from around the world,” said Albert Douglas CEO of Alomi.
Following on the $1 million deal struck with Bahrain Financial Harbour on the first day of the show, Douglas received orders to supply Dammam-based Al Mahmoud Contracting $750,000 worth of Speed e Dek wooden flooring for a hotel.
“This clearly illustrates how the exhibition is helping companies to target Saudi Arabia from Bahrain,” he added.
Dubai-based Megastar, part of the Darvesh Group, secured two deals at the show worth a total of $100,000. The first deal was to supply Beech wood and the second to deliver melamine MDF (medium-density fibreboard), said K K Rajesh, export manager of the company.
UK-based Arqadia, a company specialising in picture frames, won a $20,000 order at the show.
• Show timings: 10 am to 1 pm; and 4 pm to 9 pm.