Cabsat 2009

With 10% growth compared to last year and 60 new exhibitors, CABSAT 2009 was hailed a success. In this wrap-up, Digital Studio looks at some of the highlights from the event.

Over the last few years, CABSAT, the region's leading exhibition for the production, broadcast and satellite industry, has been growing bigger, better and becoming more effective as a networking platform. Any fears of the global downturn impacting the event negatively were unfounded as we discovered at the show. If anything, a lot of pleasant surprises awaited visitors.

For one, CABSAT authorities claimed that the exhibition has grown by 10% over last year, grossing over 26,000 sqm and showcasing 660 exhibitors over the three-day period. There were 60 first time exhibitors at CABSAT this year - a vital indicator that many companies, whose sales are dropping elsewhere, are viewing the Middle East as a region of bigger opportunities.

Several new exhibitors were systems integrators looking to bring their expertise to the region or manufacturers with new solutions for this market.

"Despite the economic situation, the general sentiment at the event was that this region is holding up well in terms of investment compared to other regions globally," commented David Lim, industry group manager for CABSAT organiser, Dubai World Trade Centre's media cluster. "This was borne out by the 8603 visitors we had at CABSAT MENA & Satellite MENA this year. In addition, we also welcomed two trade delegations from India and Hungary."

Several elements at CABSAT are worthy of note. Besides the conferences, the event successfully launched MENASAT, a stand-alone event dedicated to the satellite market. In addition, key technological trends in new media platforms such as IPTV & Mobile TV, and topics such as piracy and copyright issues in the region were tackled at the show.

For the first time, CABSAT also saw a lot of high-profile representation from Abu Dhabi, the most important being from LIVE, the production subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Company and MENACAST, a company providing content monitoring facilities to broadcasters and media agencies. LIVE could not be missed. Its flagship truck, Al Thuraya was parked inside Zabeel Hall for visitors to explore.

Some prominent players like Hitachi, Sony, UBMS FTE and WASP3 had a much larger stand this year than in the past- a telling reflection of their success in this region.

Speaking about why the region was important to Hitachi, Paddy Roache, director and general manager of the company said: "Television and radio in the Middle East are critical factors in the educational, social and economic development of the region.

The national and large independent broadcasters are developing a policy of demanding the highest possible quality from their studio, post production and transmission solutions. This, in turn, encourages high-end manufacturers like Hitachi to constantly raise the bar. We are here to demonstrate to end users in the region how our solutions can help produce the high image quality they require."

The highlight of the Hitachi stand was the SK-HD 1000, a high performance HDTV studio and EFP camera.

Another notable exhibitor was Sony Professional Solutions Middle East, which demonstrated the HXR-MC1P, a tiny all-in-one camera system that needs no extra equipment and is designed for filmmakers and cameramen who want a no-frills system.

Dubai-based distributor UBMS had two stands at the show. The company showcased several new solutions on its stand from vendors such as Marshall Electronics, Ianiro, Redrock Micro and Anton/Bauer among others. Front Porch Digital was prominent at UBMS with its archiving solution while several visitors admired the cinema accessories from Redrock.

"The growth of the film industry in the Middle East has prompted a great need for high-quality solutions that are also affordable. It is in this spirit that Redrock and UBMS have joined forces to help fuel the growth of film in this market," stated Reza Nikfar CEO and founder of UBMS. "UBMS is very proud to be able to provide more solutions to its customers around the Middle East and Africa regions."

Another manufacturer that created a buzz was Beehive Systems with its Wasp 3D solution. WASP3D 2009 claims to redefine the broadcast graphics paradigm with a host of new features and interactivity. Added to the existing module is WASPi Mimosa, a touch-screen based application that gives the user (anchor) extreme flexibility and total control over the graphics system.

Mimosa gives the presenter a host of interactive features like telestration, gesture-based actions, multi-touch options and other tools for building complex interactive scenes.

"WASP3D 2009 will completely change the broadcast graphics landscape with its unmatched design capabilities, unique features and interactivity," commented Tushar Kothari, director of Beehive Systems. "We are confident of creating a strong pull in the Middle East broadcast market with the new release."

Several companies also tried different marketing strategies to gain more visibility at the event. Cable manufacturer Belden made itself more visible on each stand by releasing a supplement on the company along with Digital Studio magazine. The cable manufacturer has had several successes in this region in the last few years especially in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. The falcon against the blue sky was a popular sight at the show.

"We see big possibilities in the Middle East market," stated Berry Medendorp, marketing communications manager EMEA for Belden. "The market is changing and growing, and we have plans to grow along with it."

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