Dubai: Some retailers have not yet decided whether to take part in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Electronics Shopper (ADE Shopper) 2013, the premier consumer electronics show, from March 14-18 as the Indian schools conduct final examinations during that time and the expo falls close to the Gitex Shopper which takes place in Dubai from April 3-6, 2013.

“Abu Dhabi is a huge market and the emirate needs an electronics expo similar to Gitex to give a shot in arm to the growing consumer electronics industry,” Neelesh Bhatnagar, CEO of Emax, told Gulf News.

“We have not yet got much detailed information about the event. If the leading retailers are taking part then we will also be taking part,” he said.

According to Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky’s Group, in April all the schools are closed encouraging the tourist inflow.

The five-day event, bringing together leading electronics retailers and suppliers, IT professionals, technology enthusiasts, and consumers under one roof, is expected to attract more than 75,000 visitors.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce will support the ADE Shopper 2013. The event will serve as a one-stop shop for consumers to view the latest tech-innovations in the market and obtain the best deals, with around 30 companies expected to participate in the exhibition.

According to Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG, Abu Dhabi is a huge market and a different city. “We need marketing initiatives to drive demand in the emirate.”

“It is true that exams are taking place, but that does not mean that retailers are not doing business during that time. You cannot expect all the people in the UAE to come and shop at one emirate to buy electronics like before,” he said.

“It is a new starting point and we are taking part in the Abu Dhabi event. It is going to be held in March so I don’t have more details,” Khalkho said.

According to Dony Cyril, Director of Exhibitions at Dome, the orgainser of the event, the exhibition will not be similar to Gitex.

“Gitex is targeting low-to-mid end customers whereas we are targeting high-to-mid net worth local consumers. We have combined the technology and products together and this is the only exhibition in Abu Dhabi specialised in IT and electronics segment to satisfy the tech savvy local population,” Cyril said.

“We have participants from India, China and Germany. All major electronics and IT brands are supporting the exhibition, whereas direct participation will be through their local partners/ retailers. The emirate is an obvious choice for an annual consumer computer and electronics show, as it has the highest population with large expatriate residents and generating 60 per cent of the UAE’s total GDP,” he said.

The total spending on electronics goods in the UAE is expected to increase from $3.4 billion to $4.3 billion by 2015.