Dubai Exports returns from Project Qatar 2012 with deals worth AED221 million

Local companies that participated in the UAE pavilion at the recently concluded Project Qatar 2012 exhibition were able to clinch 17 deals, together worth AED221 million, with Qatari and international companies. The 3,000 square metre UAE pavilion, led by Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of the Department of Economic Development, brought together more than 140 local companies specialised in the construction, contracting and building materials sectors.

“The UAE companies were able to demonstrate their strength at Project Qatar 2012 as evident from the remarkable turnout at the UAE pavilion. The survey conducted by Dubai Exports in coordination with the participating companies also showed a bright outlook on future deals. The local companies expect to close 1715 deals worth AED 3.9 billion this year as a result of their participation in the exhibition,” said Engineer Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Exports.

Al Awadi hailed the significant presence of leading Qatari and international traders, investors, and professionals from diverse sectors including facilities, services and infrastructure, equipment and machinery, and green buildings at the event. The UAE pavilion received over 20,000 visitors, many of them from the Arabian Gulf, Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Al Awadi stressed that Dubai Exports aims to increase the number of local exhibitors by 10 per cent and expand the UAE pavilion by 15 per cent for the next cycle of Project Qatar.

Mohammed Al Kamali, Director of Export Market Development at Dubai Exports, said: “Most of the UAE companies that attended Project Qatar confirmed that GCC and international businessmen, investors, and business owners succeeded in closing deals worth millions at the event and were able to initiate discussions that may lead to future deals. The number of visitors to the pavilion also rose by over 25 per cent compared to the previous year.”

Al Kamali said the workshop organised by Dubai Exports alongside the exhibition with the support of the UAE embassy in Qatar and the cooperation of prominent Qatari companies helped enhance business networking within the Gulf Arab region. He added that it will also help step up trade exchange between the UAE-Qatari companies, facilitate future partnerships and raise the UAE’s share of business in the region.