Cityscape 2004 has been hailed the most successful ever, with more than 10,000 visitors from 81 countries attending the Middle East’s premier property and investment event – marking a growth of 500 per cent on last year.

Organisers of the three day conference and exhibition, which took place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, from November 29 to December 1, said that 10,358 people participated at the show this year, up from just over 2,000 in 2003.
“Cityscape 2004 has attracted a record number of visitors both from the region and internationally, demonstrating the importance of the event to the investment and real estate industries,” said Neil Hickman, project director of Cityscape 2004. “The number and quality of investors both locally and from overseas was also unprecedented.”
Cityscape 2004 welcomed more than 160 international exhibitors. In addition over 500 delegates attended the conference, which ran alongside the exhibition.
Demand from exhibitors to take part in Cityscape 2005, which runs from September 17 to 19 next year, has been so great, that organisers have already decided to double the size of exhibition space, by booking another two halls at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.
“This year’s event has surpassed all of our expectations,” added Hickman. “In terms of visitors, exhibitors and delegates, Cityscape has secured its position as a major international forum for industry professionals.”
Many companies who took part in the show signed significant deals during the event, with others reporting strong interest and potential business leads. Among the projects announced at the show were the $3.8 billion development of Legends-Dubailand and the Dubai Outlet Mall. Details of major property investment in Jordan and Saudi Arabia were also released.
“We had a tremendously good show. We were actually taking orders on the stand although the outlets are not yet available for lease. The visitor base was very good; this is not just an architectural show anymore, but has become a well-diversified industry event. We have already booked our stand for next year and are tripling our presence,” said Mohammed N Khammas, managing director, Dubai Outlet Mall.
The Cityscape Architectural Review Awards was another highlight of the show, with more than 240 entries of completed buildings or those still on the drawing board, from across the world, submitted for judging. The presentations were made during a gala dinner held at Nad Al Sheba, attended by 700 industry professionals.