Due to the overwhelming success of Cityscape Dubai 2006 and the immediate demand for exhibition space for 2007, IIR Middle East, the organiser of Cityscape Dubai, has increased the amount of space available by another 27%, which is on top of the 25% growth recorded in 2006. This now takes the total size of this year's event which takes place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from 16-18 October, to over 70,000 m².
This is particularly impressive given the exponential growth of this five-year old pedigree, which recorded less than 1,000 participants on its 2002 debut. Commenting, Rohan Marwaha, Group Director, Cityscape, declared, "We have already sold 90% of the available floor space, which is just extraordinary and fully justifies our decision to increase the size of the exhibition this year by another 15,000 m². We are well on course to smash last year's sales figures which in themselves were world records. This clearly validates not only the underlying strength and positive sentiment of the wider regional market, but Cityscape's international brand value."
The final figures for the 2006 show were impressive by any international industry standards, confirming its position as the world's largest business to business property investment and development event - 508 exhibitors from 34 different countries, 32,442 industry professionals participating from 107 countries and 1,148 conference delegates and speakers. Little wonder then that major industry players once again have been clamoring for sponsorship opportunities.
To date regional heavyweights, Emaar Properties, Nakheel, Tanmiyat Group, Aldar Properties, Qatari Diar and Dar Al Arkan have signed up as platinum sponsors, with Saraya Holdings and Tameer securing gold sponsorship status.
Three parallel conferences will take place this year, attracting key investors, property developers, architects and designers amongst others. Cityscape Dubai 2007, as in previous years will include the hugely successful Cityscape Dubai Conference, which last year attracted 75 internationally acclaimed speakers who delivered 50 presentations as well as participating in dedicated workshops devoted to the latest industry issues.
The World Architectural Conference will once again feature prominently on the event programme and the coveted Cityscape Architectural Review Awards will also be handed out during an exclusive gala dinner. The international industry awards are keenly contested and the 300 entries received last year are sure to be surpassed this year. One new aspect this year will be the introduction of a dedicated conference for hotel and tourism investment & development, which aims to bring a special focus on the opportunities within these lucrative sectors.
"Cityscape is renowned as a well-rounded international industry event, with a targeted visitor profile, but the bottom line is business. The volume and size of the announcements we witnessed at Cityscape 2006 was remarkable. Just in the run-up to the show, deals worth in excess of US $160 billion were announced, US $140 billion more than the previous year. This yet again reconfirms that Cityscape Dubai is THE event on the international industry calendar," added Marwaha.
Source: SMC
