The European launch of gulfBID, the Gulf Building and Interior Design Exhibition, scheduled for next year in Bahrain, was held at the Bahrain Embassy premises in Belgrave Square, London, last month.

Organised by Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions, a division of the Bahrain-based Al Hilal Group in association with dmg world media, the event is supported by the Bahrain Convention and Exhibition Bureau (BCEB) and will be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), from May 16 to 18 next year.
Al Hilal Group chairman Anwar Mohammed Abdulrahman said the event would boost Bahrain’s image, especially at a time when construction in all GCC states is at its highest ever levels.
“Needless to say that we are very delighted that at last a fair opportunity has been given to us to stage an international exhibition in Bahrain,” he noted.
Speaking at the event, dmg world media managing director Bernard Walsh said the exhibition would showcase a range of products and services aimed at the building and interiors industries of the Northern Gulf region.
The annual trade show, which will be held each year at the BIEC, is strategically located in Bahrain which is in the centre of a market estimated to be in excess of $200 billion.
According to the organisers, space for the first show is already at a premium and it is likely that booked space will exceed initial expectations by as much as 40 per cent.
The event will provide an excellent annual forum for the building, construction and interior designer industries and trading companies to source new building materials, furniture and furnishing services that are available around the world, he noted.
The exhibition will also be an excellent annual forum for information exchange, networking and to obtain regular information on new trends and developments in the global building and construction and interiors industry.
The exhibition is expected to attract experts and buyers from the Northern Gulf, in particular Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other fast growing economies in the region.
Such an exhibition is extremely important at a time when the Gulf region is implementing construction projects worth billions of dinars, said Al Hilal Group managing director Ronnie Middleton.
“Among the projects being implemented in Bahrain are the $1.5 billion Bahrain Financial Harbour, $1 billion Durrat Al Bahrain resort, $1 billion Amwaj Islands, $750 million Al Areen Desert Spa and Resort, $332 million expansion of Bahrain International Airport and the $150 million Bahrain World Trade Centre,” he noted.
“Work is also expected to start soon on the $2 billion Bahrain-Qatar Causeway and work is already in progress on the $320 million City Centre shopping mall, being developed by Al Futtaim Investment, in Seef.”
Key industries to be served by the show include building and construction, water technology and environment, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration, cleaning and maintenance and retail design and interior architecture and design.