Dubai sets its sights on developing economies

Dubai: Dubai is ideally poised to gain as a trading hub for consumer goods, being surrounded by fast growing markets of the Indian subcontinent and Africa, say organisers of the 24th International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF10), the region's pioneer consumer goods show to be held next January 17-19 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

According to Dubai World Trade Centre statistics, Dubai sees over $17 billion (Dh62.4 billion) in domestic imports annually and it is a gateway to a $150 billion (Dh550.9 billion) regional import market with a catchment population of 1.4 billion.

As for its logistics infrastructure, the city is a highly accessible market, served by more than 170 shipping lines and 86 airlines.

The three-day Autumn Fair, a leading regional buyer-seller meeting ground for the consumer goods segment, will feature around 600 exhibitors from 25 countries.

The exhibition, ranked as one of the more popular general trade fairs in the region, will occupy 13,000 square metres.

Business platform

Over the last 23 years, IATF has been recognised as a robust regional business platform for the global consumer goods industry keen to expand footprints in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Satish Khanna, General Manager of Al Fajer Information & Services, the organiser of the show, said: "IATF has grown as a significant exhibition brand serving the niche sector of consumer goods. Over the last couple of years, the show has become more attractive to global consumer goods companies with the rise in spending power of the region, particularly the GCC. This year also, most of the regular exhibitors of the show returned with new products."

"Dubai is truly the re-export hub of the region. Our show reflects the emirate's pivotal role in serving as the gateway to Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa which all lies within a three-to-five hour flying distance from Dubai," Khanna added.

This year the fair will host the official national pavilions of eight countries, occupying 80 per cent of the 13,000 square metres of exhibition space.

The national pavilions include 250 exhibitors from China, 75 from Hong Kong, 20 from Singapore, 45 from Korea, 40 from Iran, 15 from Vietnam, 20 from India and 10 from Malaysia.