Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Chief Executive Officer of Expo Centre Sharjah, President of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry in the Middle East and Africa, Chairman of UFI's MEA Chapter, has called upon all stakeholders in the exhibitions industry in the region to establish a Middle East Exhibitions League, similar to counterparts in various regions in the world.

Al Midfa considered that the quick advances the world is seeing requires all stakeholders to develop new strategies for the coming years, based on advanced visions that take into consideration the latest economic transformations, both regionally and internationally. According to Al Midfa, these transformations will soon force a major change in dogma, from “think global and act local” to “think global and act global”.

Al Midfa’s remarks were part of his keynote speech at the Expo Network Forum Middle East held at the Fairmont Hotel Dubai lately, with major players and stakeholders in the exhibitions sector in the Middle East in presence. The forum was also attended by a number of Expo Centre Sharjah staff. The conferees discussed latest advances in the sector, and means for sharing experiences and best practices.

In his comments during the Panel discussion: “Inside the Exhibition Industry in ME” session, Al Midfa highlighted that the UAE has become a pioneering business hub, both regionally and globally, and the same applies to the exhibitions sector, in which Sharjah takes a leading role.

Al Midfa also warned against the threats of cybercrimes, which has become a major challenge to the exhibitions sector around the world. This, Al Midfa added, makes it imperial to study this new threat and mitigate its impact on the industry.

Expo Centre Sharjah

Al Midfa highlighted the importance of strategic planning in the industry, noting that Expo Centre Sharjah has long realized the importance of maintaining high profile events, such as the Middle East Watch and Jewellery Show, SteelFab, the International Education Show, and many more. This stems from the Expo’s belief in the role of well established events in attracting visitors and exhibitors alike.

Asked about managing exhibitors’ expectations, Al Midfa noted that Expo Centre Sharjah works on data collection via surveys and studies that probe exhibitors’ opinion and feedback. Further, the Centre organizes open discussions with elite exhibitors to get their feedback and comments.

On the Watch and Jewellery Show, Al Midfa noted that the biennial event is considered one of the largest of its kind the Middle East, and the only to target B2B and B2C together Al Midfa revealed that the show attracted around 11,000 visitors a day in its last edition, attributing this success to the UAE’s great support of this sector, and the state-of-the-art infrastructure it enjoys.

It is worth mentioning that Explori, the leading firm specialized in international exhibitions surveys and statistics, revealed that the UAE occupies the first ranking in exhibitions in the Middle East and Africa, with over 265 successful events in 2016, followed by South Africa with 209, and Turkey with 197. The company also revealed that exhibitions and events in the region (including the UAE) attracted 17 million visitors.