The first edition of Abu Dhabi’s new landscape dedicated trade show took place last month in Abu Dhabi. COD reports on the event.
Support for the new Gulf Landscaping show proved strong with more than 50 companies taking part in the inaugural edition of the event, which was held last month in Abu Dhabi.
Not surprisingly, there was a strong representation from Abu Dhabi with landscape contractor Al Ryum Group, irrigation supplier Arid Land Development, and water feature designer Magical Water Fountains all participating, while familiar faces from Dubai included landscape contractors Citiscape and TerraVerde.
It doesn’t show in numbers, but it is [sector] specific.
Companies attending from the wider GCC region included Saudi Arabia-based landscape contractor Al Hejaz Gardens.
Internationally, the show drew exhibitors from South Africa, Italy, the UK, Singapore, Thailand, and the US. The event also had a good spread in terms of range of exhibitors with representatives in all the major areas – water features, irrigation, outdoor furniture, decking, and planting – present as well as a number of the larger landscape contractors.
Landscape design firms in attendance included Hong Kong-based Adrien Norman and Saudi Arabia-based design firm LAR International.
While some exhibitors commented that the visitor turnout was lower than they expected and that they would have liked the show to have lasted for longer, others said they were happy with the event.
“It is very quiet, but we have had extremely useful contacts. We wanted exposure in the Abu Dhabi market. Abu Dhabi will be a market where there is enormous potential so it is of significant interest to us to be present in the market,” said Philip Lonsdale, sales and marketing director of Dubai-based Majestic Jetties & Marinas, distributor of composite decking product MoistureShield.
Alex Charawani, managing partner of playground equipment supplier Gebal Co, went a step further. “This is the best trade show that we have ever done,” he said. “It doesn’t show in numbers, but everyone who has come is involved in [the industry], and it is [sector] specific.
Visitor numbers were boosted by the hosted buyer programme run by organisers of the show, through which a number of targeted buyers were brought to the event.
The show had had ‘tremendous support’ from the industry, said Cressida Evans, marketing manager, CMPI. “The hosted buyer programme launched for the show…allowed exhibitors and key buyers to be carefully matched by needs and have one-on-one meetings at the show. This maintained the quality of the visitors,” she said.
Dave Jones, Emcor, a participant from Bahrain in the hosted buyer programme, said the event had been useful. “The hosted buyer programme has enabled me to source quality suppliers all under one roof – a very valuable two days. There was a very good selection of what I was looking for,” he said.
Positioning of the show between two other events at the same location – the other elements being Fit Out Middle East, dedicated to the final stages of the construction process, and Buildings Middle East, an exhibition for building services and facilities management – also helped to generate visitor crossover.
Visitor numbers to the event have not yet been announced.
The second edition of the show is scheduled to take place November 16-17 2009.
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