Saleh Fareed
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH – The 4-day 27th Jeddah International Trade Fair 2015 (JITF) at the Jeddah Center for Forums & Events ended on Friday with a record number of traders and visitors. Over 200 world-renowned exhibitors from 8 countries participated in this year’s JITF, showcasing a wide array of unique, exclusive and traditional products, ranging from clothing, textile, accessories to home décor and appliances, giftware and more.
“This year’s Jeddah International Trade Fair was a successful event, and a pleasurable experience to both visitors and exhibitors. Every year, we try our best to come up with a new and enhanced edition of the fair to please all types of visitors, and I think we have succeeded in doing so as the show was 35% larger than the 2014 event ” said Zahoor Siddique, Vice President of Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE).
He said “as organizers we always try to make sure that we listen to both the visitors’ and exhibitors’ needs and feedback, and implement them because, we believe that this is what will help to upgrade the event.”
Apart from the visitors from Jeddah, the business-to-business (B2B) component in the fair has got good response from business people.
Budi Hansyah, Director of the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonisia, said the expo gave their participating companies a chance to explore the investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
He said “we are very happy with the overall outcome of the exhibition. The exhibition was a great opportunity to showcase our products in a professionally-managed exhibition. Visitors of the JITF 2015 have appreciated our products and prices, so we are definitely coming back next year.”
Trade delegations from China said the fair has provided them a perfect platform to promote and expand their business in Saudi Arabia. Many of them have found local partners to promote their products and services in Jeddah.
Meanwhile, Gavin Robinson, Director of Curo Pumps Ltd from South Africa which participated for the first time at Jeddah Trade Fair, said the fair has created a new market for their business.
After they showcased their products and services at the fair, he said “it was a great experience to take part at Jeddah Trade Fair and we look forward to promote our products in the Saudi market which is considered as the most important market in the region.”
In a bid to promote Indian handicrafts, the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) participated and had a great response from Saudi visitors, according to A.K. Sakhuja, Deputy Director.
He said “to increase the export and to surpass the target, we need to focus on new and emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia.”
Buyers and traders appeared pleased with the Indian products showcased at the Fair, and some buyers said the products were competitively priced and modern in design.
The 2015 edition was organized by Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions with the support of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The 2016 edition of Jeddah International Trade Fair is scheduled for December 20-23, 2016.
