The Dubai Show to debut in South Africa

Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sumansa Exhibitions announced the grand launch of "The Dubai Show" in a Press Conference held at the iconic Burj Al Arab.

With an aim of presenting all that Dubai has to offer to the world, the first edition of The Dubai Show, will be held in South Africa this November. The event, scheduled from 24th to 26th of November 2016 at Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, will launch Dubai as a significant contributor to the world's economy and attract investments into Dubai from Africa.

The Dubai Show seeks to present the emirate's booming industry verticals to the world, with the objective of generating business, creating new partnerships and exploring new markets. Major industry sectors such as Tourism, Hospitality, Business setups, Real Estate, Free zones, Trade, Services, Medical Tourism, Education, etc., will be represented at the event.

"The Dubai Show in Johannesburg will serve as a lucrative platform for several industries to forge ties with their African partners. This will be a great opportunity for high profile, as well as small and medium enterprises to gain foothold into an emerging market and establish their brand comfortably, besides opening doors for African partners to establish themselves in Dubai. Given the large consumer base with a population of 52.98 million, South Africa shows promising potential of growing into a profitable market for UAE retailers. On the other hand, the rapidly growing African economy will find a rewarding base in the UAE to expand their industries in other countries", said Sultan Al Suwaidi, Partner at Sumansa Exhibitions.

"South Africa offers the untapped potential for supporting companies seeking to do business in Dubai. Diversification has been a key word for the administration of Dubai which is keen on converting the region's economy from being dependent on oil and real-estate revenues to an economy that is well-diversified and has several sectors growing quickly. The services sector in Dubai has been growing by leaps and bounds and the government has also taken steps to ensure the best companies from all over the world setup a presence in Dubai".

"Many in South Africa believe that this is the best time to enter the Dubai market and invest in the services sector of the region. With several companies from South Africa also looking to open establishments in the UAE, the time is ripe for support services providers from Dubai to reach out into such markets. Typically, such companies are looking for services in the area of business setup, HR and hiring, relocations, finance, interiors and furniture, IT networking, insurance and other vital needs", added Sultan.

"This is going to be one mega event which will showcase all that Dubai has to offer to the world, the potential is immense and opportunities galore and we certainly think this would be a one of its kind exhibition with representation from such diverse industry sectors, nothing of this kind has ever been done before," said Sajid Ali, Director, Sumansa Exhibitions, the organisers of The Dubai Show. "With Johannesburg as our starting point, we intend to mark Dubai's presence - economic and otherwise - in many different parts of the globe.

"Africa was an obvious choice because we have been witnessing an increasing traffic flow from the emerging markets in the continent, triggered by a growing number of flights, and thousands of tourists and businesspeople. In fact, the influx of South Africans into the UAE has been so large that a leading South African newspaper Independent Online unofficially dubbed the UAE 'South Africa's 10th province'," added Sajid Ali.

All types of business establishments seeking new investments, partnerships and growth can participate in the event and make use of this immense opportunity. Large to medium to small companies representing diverse industry sectors such as Hospitality Providers, Travel Agencies, Medical Establishments, Event Companies, Marketing Agencies, Accounting & Finance, Administration, Legal and Financial Advisory, HR, IT, Education, Marketing, General Trading companies, Importers and exporters, Manufacturers, Production Units, Shipping & Logistics, Real Estate developers and brokers all can benefit from participation in this event. This is one unique platform which will showcase all that Dubai has to offer as an investment destination.

The UAE Government works closely with African governments in developing trade opportunities in the areas of exports and imports, as well as business-to-business activities and capital investments.

According to figures provided by the South African embassy in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is the 24th largest investor in South Africa and is its largest trading partner in the GCC region. The UAE is also the 21st largest export market to South Africa. Interestingly, not only is the UAE one of the leading exporters of goods to several African countries, it is also among the top ten importers of goods and commodities for as many as 10 African countries. It is estimated that the UAE's total non-oil trade with Africa is worth US$ 19.1 billion - and this figure is expected to further rise in coming years as the UAE authorities make concerted efforts to further diversify their trade and business interests in the African continent.

There are over 30 free zones in the UAE, the majority of which are in Dubai. Free zones have been purposely established to facilitate foreign investment into the UAE in relation to particular business sectors. Highlighting Dubai's Free Zone's attractive value proposition, especially to its customer-centric services, world-class infrastructure facilities and unrivalled logistics matrices can impact the South African market incredibly.

Trade exchange between UAE and South Africa reached $2.9 billion (Dh10.6 billion) as per last year's reports, with UAE's trade balance heavily in favour of South Africa. More than 200 South African companies are presently operating across UAE including prominent entities such as Murray and Roberts, besides 13 projects worth $170 million. As per news reports, UAE is South Africa's sixth-largest source of crude oil, whereas UAE forms a significant market for the former's agricultural produce and precious metals. Medical tourism also creates sizeable traffic between the countries with up to 13 percent of medical tourists coming to the UAE from Africa and, by 2020, the emirate is anticipated to welcome more than 500,000 medical tourists from African countries and generate an estimated Dh2.6 billion in revenue.

Source:WAM