All systems go

Intersec, the second largest show of its kind in the world, came to Dubai last month. SFS reports on the news, updates and the state of the industry.

After all the fears that have been played out in the media over the last few months, Intersec provided a reassuring opportunity for those in the security, fire and safety industries.

Spread across the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, visitor numbers were up by more than 20% from last year. Messe Frankfurt estimates that over 17,000 visitors stepped through the doors to take a look at the state of the industry.

Dr. Mohammed Bin Fahad, director general of Dubai Police Academy, set the agenda for the show in his keynote speech on day one. "This fair is about protecting human life," he said.

"It is the duty of this conference to create a good society in every region. This is a globalised city, we can present Dubai as an example for all globalised people."

Presenting Dubai as an example for the world held particular resonance at a time of global financial nervousness, and exhibitors and visitors maintained a cautiously optimistic mood throughout the show, which gave way to celebration by the time of its completion.

Messe Frankfurt stated deals worth multiple millions of dollars were signed at the show, and independent research by SFS indicated that the future is indeed very bright for the industry as a whole, with companies not only staying the course but even expanding throughout the region.

Smiles all round

One exhibitor that had every right to be pleased with the market was Sami El Azzami, business development manager of Bristol Fire Engineering. "A lot of people are scared to sign big contracts, but we currently have deals worth US$120 million in negotiation at this stage," he said.

He cited his company's long service record of 37 years in the region as being crucial in securing contracts. He also indicated that the current success was leading Bristol to open a new office in Saudi Arabia.

Similarly positive reports were coming from the security section of the show. "This is the best show we've ever done," said Russell Wood, divisional manager of G4S.

"We've had a lot of interest from KSA clients here, and we've generated as many sales there this month as we did in seven months last year."

The Saudi Arabian market certainly seemed to be the big news of the show. Homeland Security Research had last year announced that the KSA would have the second largest homeland security market in the world after the US and exhibitors at the show were adamant that this would provide opportunities for everyone in the industry.

Safety standards organisation Underwriters Laboratories was exhibiting with a view to expanding their Middle East presence.

"We have got strong manufacturing support in Saudi, we've got important users in Dubai, so we're trying to see what would be the best method to address this," said R A Venkitachalam, vice president and managing director, UL Emerging Markets. "That could be something in the UAE or of course, something in Saudi Arabia."

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