No discounts offered to Emaar, Nakheel - Cityscape

Thursday, 24 September 2009 7:54 AM

No discounts were offered to UAE property giants Emaar and Nakheel to persuade them to take part in this year's Cityscape Dubai exhibition, organisers have said.

Both companies announced last week that they would not be exhibiting at Dubai's biggest property show, due to take place from October 5-8, but announced days later that they would take place after all.

"We haven't offered them any discounts," said Rohan Marwaha, group director of Cityscape, in comments published by Emirates Business on Thursday.

He added that the show was still in discussions with two or three other UAE-based developers about whether they will take part, but declined to reveal any names.

Marwaha told the paper that organisers of Cityscape Dubai were willing to accept last-minute applications for exhibition space but would not offer discounts even though rates had risen despite the impact of the global economic crisis.

"We can accept new applications for a couple of more days, but only if the companies are willing to be accommodated in the space that is available," Marwaha said.

A spokesman for RAK Properties told the paper the company was seeking a price reduction before confirming its participation but Marwaha said any suggestions that reduced prices were available were "untrue".

He added that 215 exhibitors will take part this year compared to last year's 300.

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Posted by: rao Monday, 28 September 2009 1:42 AM[UAE] - uae

We all came to UAE to work and happy. I dont understand why we pull each other leg. I am neither in constructin busines or I purchased any property. I have plans in future to purchase. Rohan is doing wonderful job as a director of cityscape. atleast he has guts to commence the show. The market will boom in first quarter of next year as comments given all over the world . I pray to god nobody should loose money and everybody should benefit.

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Posted by: ahmed Friday, 25 September 2009 1:36 PM[UAE]

Guys..the real reason is out...now that they have discovered water on the moon..Emaar and Nakheel are launching multi billion projects, both commercial and residential, on the Moon...Nakheel will be creating island on the newly discoverd water and making residential collonies there...watch out for Cityscape.

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Posted by: Tim Friday, 25 September 2009 9:56 AM[UAE]

You know its always nice to see reality bite those who think they created Dubai's realestate boom. I was tired of seeing people being promoted and claiming if it wasnt for "their show" Dubai wouldnt be were it is today. Give us a break, if it wasnt for the leadership of the country some people would'nt go from marketing managers to event CEO's overnight riding on the coat tails of anothers success. Dubai's event industry is more transparent than any other so trying to fool us into thinking the biggest players in the realestate market do a complete u-turn in the space of 2 days completely on their own is insulting to all of us let alone the "paying" exhibitors. All this and we havent even looked at attendance numbers of such overly hyped shows. Lets leave the attendance numbers for the creative accounting in the post show report. Exhibitions are nothing more than a leech that rides on the hard work and success of existing businesses on the street.

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Posted by: Siwash Thursday, 24 September 2009 9:49 PM[UAE] - Jordan

As a former semi-government real estate company employee, I have always questioned the strategic reasons for exhibiting in Citiscape, even during the hey day of the real estate boom. The cost of exhibiting were rising astronomically and the rationale for being there did not make business-sense. However, should the two developers not changed their position it would have had dire negative repercussions. Thus, it is a thing of damned if you do and damned if you don't. Let the saga continue!!!

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