Spanish firms eye UAE expansion through Valencia products expo

Dubai: New Feria Valencia Concepts, an expo seeking to help companies from Valencia, Spain, expand in the UAE and Gulf markets opened on Tuesday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

The exhibition, organised by one of the Europe's largest exhibition organisers and venue owners, Feria Valencia of Spain, is debuting in Dubai as part of Spain's endeavour to explore overseas business opportunities and increase bilateral trade with the UAE and the Middle East.

Data shows that exports from Valencia to the UAE during January-October 2007 was to the tune of 134 million euros. For the whole of 2007, exports reached 163 million euros.

Valencian products have been in the UAE and the Gulf market for two decades. Ceramics, pigments and enamels, marble and natural stones comprise the majority of exports to the UAE from Valencia.

Alberto Catala Ruiz De Galarretta, president, Feria Valencia, said: "The New Feria Valencia Concepts is a first-of-its-kind expo in the UAE and the region. This is the first time a concerted effort has been made to introduce Valencian companies to the UAE and the regional market. This has great potential to boost economic growth."