The State of Bahrain will receive an "industrial boost," with the second annual "Made in Bahrain Exhibition" set to take place from May 9 to 13 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that all preparations have been made for the event, which is being organized under the auspices of Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, as well as the Ministries of Oil, Commerce and Industry, the Bahrain Tribune reported.
Chairman of the organizing committee, Khalid Hussain Maskati, announced yesterday that although approximately 60 companies have already confirmed their intended participation at the exhibition, the number of participants is expected to grow. Maskati remarked, "The Prime Minister's personal interest in this exhibition shows his interest in the industrial growth of the nation."
The occasion is expected to provide small and medium sized corporations with a valuable opportunity to display their products, and to interact with prospective buyers and find ways to improve product quality. "The focal point of this forum is small and medium size industry which constitute 80% of the total industrial sector as this initiative will provide them an opportunity to conduct a study for comparison of quality and excellence at different product levels," Maskati added.
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) will hold special interest in the event, seeking to obtain a fair evaluation of the state of Bahrain industry, as compared to industry in other Gulf State competing nations. The first such event was held in 1995, with the 2000 affair expected to provide a more realistic assessment of Bahraini industry, since a greater cross section of fields will be represented at this year's forum.
"We expect a large number of visitors as in 1995 around 80,000 people visited the event..." Maskati conveyed, "keeping in view the importance of the event, we dispatched 50,000 invitations in the AGCC States alone, and many more to the Arab world. Alongside the exhibition, there will be three seminars and conferences to provide first-hand knowledge to participants about the development in the area."
Bahraini corporations and Bahraini Industry at large, have much to look forward to, as several other large events are scheduled. Vice Chairman of the BCCI, Abd al-Rahim Naqi appeared hopeful, claiming such initiatives will benefit Bahrain Industry. In addition to the "Made in Bahrain Exhibition," Bahrain will participate in the Tehran International Fair in October, and an Algerian Products Fair later this year. "Bahrain will also hold a solo exhibition 'Made in Bahrain' at Cairo 2001, and all steps are being taken to make this international event a great success," Ministry of Commerce officials announced.
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
