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22nd April 2010 Press Release/ Latest News GCC BRITAIN EXPO – 30 June – 1 July ’10, London Royal Horticultural Halls, Central London GCC Britain Expo ’10 offers a free-to-attend exhibition and a comprehensive and stimulating conference speaker programme, showcasing the economic development of the Gulf and the advantages this holds for you. The two-day exhibition and conference will take place on 30th June and 1st July 2010 at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Central London. GCC Britain Expo ’10 aims to facilitate bilateral trade and investment, and to help forge new commercial relationships between UK and GCC businesses. Providing an opportunity to meet key industry representatives in the fields of Finance, Education, Infrastructure, Renewable Energy and Water. This Event is an excellent showcase for goods and services from the GCC region and the UK, the Expo will also deliver a wide range of back-to-back comprehensive seminars. With the exclusive opportunity to hear key industry representatives speak all under one roof, these seminars aim to inform, educate and promote bilateral trade.
With recent sign ups from RAK Free Trade Zone for Theatre One sponsorship and seminar sponsorship from the Hamriyah Free Zone, GCC Britain Expo ’10 looks set to be a high profile event. For exhibition stands and sponsorship opportunities please contact: Sam Hussain: Karen Chevalier Sheetal Kapadia
Supporting Partners: UKTI, The MEA, British Expertise, ICC World Chambers Federation, IFSL, Emirates Airlines, British Water, British Business Group Media Partner: Trade Arabia (Al Hilal Group)
Examples of Media Exposure during and after the event: GULF COMPANIES SELLING TO BRITAIN & EUROPE The recent GCC Britain Expo at London's Olympia was designed to build investment between the Gulf Co-operation countries, the UK and Europe. The two day exhibition in London earlier this month was designed to encourage closer trade links between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and Europe. The economic development of the Gulf and the business opportunities this provides attracted over one hundred and fifty companies to the event. As well as being a showcase for goods and services from the participating countries, the expo also hosted a series of seminars and lectures to inform and facilitate trade. Stewart Lee, Managing Director of Publications UK said: "We started on the event about a year ago, we conceived the idea and we've worked with the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce for a number of years and we approached them to be a partner with us and support the event and they immediately came on board. We also had the fantastic support of the federation of GCC Chambers so we had strategic partners based out in the Gulf and also here in the UK. Supporting the event we got on board UKTI, British Chambers of Commerce and Euro Chambers so we got some great partners on board, and it was very clear early on there was a great desire to create a bi-lateral trade event and promote business relations and trade between the Gulf States and Europe. This is the first major event of its kind in the UK since the "GCC and Britain exhibition" in 1994. One of the main attractions of this year's event was the huge infrastructure and construction industries in the Gulf. In particular the rapidly expanding property market which offers a big investment market for UK companies. Some of the impressive developments, the countries are very proud to show off the infrastructure that they've got there. The property developments that are coming up are just key opportunities for UK businesses and investors. They are also interested in learning what people in the UK and in Europe are looking for as well so it's very much a place of understanding relations and friendship. The exhibition came just a week after the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visitied Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates with representatives of British companies. Closer ties between the UK and Gulf Co-operation counties are seen as essential in the current global economic situation. As you will have seen recently the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown who opened the ceremony, the event, with a personalized message yesterday was out in Saudi Arabia recently and he took thirty British companies out their and in return we have not got thirty Saudi companies that have come over here and as we talk they are upstairs meeting with British companies through UKTI looking to develop relations and build business with UK and British companies. The Saudi companies in Britain met with more than 175 UK counterparts in sector including oil and gas, construction, environment, and transport. In the current economic climate it is seen as vital that British and European companies forge close partnerships with industries in the Gulf, and the GCC Britain Expo is seen as central to that process."
During the event, the Bahrain-based high profile project will showcase its development and demonstrate the attractive lifestyle options and investment opportunities at Bahrain's most distinguished residential address. The GCC Britain Expo aims to support trade and investment developing new relationships between EU and GCC regional organisations and businesses.The event will include over 150 exhibitors and feature specific European and GCC country regional zones. "Riffa views' participation at the GCC Britain Expo alongside the EDB and its campaign to promote a Business Friendly Bahrain will further promote Riffa View, as a global product," said Riffa Views chief executive officer Richard Browning. "Riffa Views offers a valuable real estate investment opportunity appealing to international corporations who are looking to relocate their top personnel live in an unparallel lifestyle setting, while obtaining significant and sustainable returns on their investment. "Our decision to partner with the EDB to further portray Bahrain as the ideal location in which to invest, live and do business in, considering that a large number of our homeowners are internationally based, speaks volumes about Bahrain."
Just a week after Prime Minister Gordon Brown Drummed up business on a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Mandelson's office is playing host to 24 senior Saudi businessmen, brokering meetings with major British businesses across the country. As economic growth in Europe, the United States and many parts Asia slows significantly thanks to the global credit squeeze, Britain in making major moves to strengthen financial ties with the correspondingly resilient Middle East. "We welcome your investment," said Mandelson in a speech prepared for a GCC Britain Expo in London. "I hope, too, that businesses and investers from the Gulf will base themselves in the UK we are obvious choice." Fuelled by a surging oil price in recent years, the region in striding ahead with the IMF predicting strong economic growth this year in all six Gulf Cooperation Council countries. On Brown's trip to the region last week, Mandelson said that companies locked in deals worth some 1 Billion pounds ($1.5 billion). Other countries like the United States and France remain wary of attracting sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East and Asia, fearing interference from foreign governments in private companies. US lawmakers successfully killed off a deal between DP World and British port operator P & O last year after a furore in congress led the UAE Company to sell the division that manages US ports.
GCC Britain Expo aims to facilitate bilateral trade and investment, and to help forge thousands of new commercial relationship between EU and GCC businesses. While providing a showcase for goods and services from the GCC, Europe and the UK, the Expo will also deliver a wide range of back-to-back seminar to inform, educate and promote bilateral trade. The Expo will include over 150 companies from the Gulf region, a full two-day seminar and programme and cultural entertainment. Also featured wil be specific European and GCC Country Regionals Zones over both floors of the exhibition halls. This is the first major event of its kind since the GCC and Britain Exhibition in 1994, which also took place at Olympia and was attended by the Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher. HRH The Duke of Gloucester will open GCC Britain Expo. The opening ceremony will attended by more than 200 invited VIPs including all the Arab ambassadors to Britain. Speakers at the opening include: HE Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Secretary General, Federation of GCC Chambers; Dr Essam Fakru, President, Federation of GCC Chambers; Pierre Simon, Head of EuroChambres; Dr Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Secretary General and Chief Executive, Arab-British Chamber of Commerce; and Abdul Rahim Hassan Naqi, Secretary General, Federation of GCC Chambers. Prime Minister Gordon Gordon has recorded a personalised video message to be screened at the ceremony. Free entry to the specific themes over the two-days include Banking and Islamic Finance, Oil and Gas, New Industries and Technologies, Trade Procedures, Insurance and Reinsurance, Women in Business, Food and Agriculture, Investment and Real Estate, Road Rail and Transport, Environmental Sustainability, Business Law, Information Technology, Education Training and Research as well as Gulf country-specific sessions. Guests at GCC Britain Expo will have the exclusive opportunity to hear key industry representative speak, all under one roof, over the course of the two days. Also taking place on the evening of 12 November 2008 at The Dorchester hotel is the Gala Dinner, which will be attended by dignitaries from the GCC region, Europe and the UK. The Keynote speaker for the evening is Rt Hon Lord Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business. |
