Dubai Welcomes The Textile Industry
Textile Expo Dubai offers a range of textile machinery developments and educational opportunities. Textile World Asia Special Report
Textile Expo Dubai
Textile World Asia Special ReportDubai Welcomes The Textile IndustryTextile Expo Dubai will
offer a range of textile machinery developments and educational opportunities.
Exhibitors from more than 15 countrieswill travel to the Airport Expo Dubai -Dubai World
Trade Center for the firstTextile Expo Dubai.The inaugural International Textile Machinery Expo
(Textile Expo Dubai) will take place Sunday, March 20, through Wednesday, March 23, at the Airport
Expo Dubai - Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The idea for the expo
was born out of a desire to promote the current strength and growth potential of textile businesses
in Dubai and the surrounding Middle Eastern region. Promotion for the event began early last year
with an intensive marketing campaign directed at key decision-makers in the Middle East, Africa and
Asia.Organizers and supporters of the show include: XPO Group Ltd., England; Streamline Marketing,
UAE; the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry; the Government of Dubais Department of Tourism
and Commerce Marketing; the Dubai World Trade Center; the Turkish Textile Machinery Association
(TEMSAD); the Korea Textile Machinery Association (KOTMA); and the Textile Merchant Group
(TEXMAS).UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al
Maktoum serves as the official patron of the show.
The Dubai skyline forms the backdrop of this year's Textile Expo.Already considered by
organizers to be on track to become the No. 1 exhibition and conference for the international
textile machinery industry in the Middle East, Textile Expo Dubai is expected to attract more than
110 exhibitors from more than 15 countries from such textile machinery sectors as spinning,
weaving, knitting, dyeing and finishing, dyestuffs and chemicals, garment making, testing and
software, among others.In addition to TEMSAD and KOTMA, the Chinese Textile Machinery Association
and the Indian Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association will have exhibitor pavilions at the
show; a contingent of Iraqi textile businesses also is expected to have a presence at the show.More
than 12,000 visitors are expected to journey from major markets in the area including Iran,
Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, India, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and North
Africa.International ConferenceIn addition to the exhibition, Textile Expo Dubai will offer an
educational conference featuring international experts and regional specialists, and comprising an
array of seminars covering such topics as:
- business opportunities in the Middle East and surrounding markets;
- the World Trade Organization and the abolition of quotas;
- how to develop skills and other training necessities;
- new technologies and how to benefit from them; and
- gateway to the Chinese market.
State-Of-The-Art VenueThe exhibition complex covers 23,308 square meters within two halls
located on two sides of a central plaza. The complex offers meeting rooms, hospitality areas, bars,
cafes and international restaurants. It is just a two-minute drive from the airport and 15 minutes
from the city center. A Significant Textile MarketThirty-one countries within the Middle East,
Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Indian subcontinent boast a population of
1.8 billion and combined gross domestic product totaling $1.5 trillion - numbers not to be ignored.
Textile industries within these areas saw exports rise to $62 billion in 2002, while related raw
material and machinery imports surpassed the $28 billion mark. That same year, 33 percent of
Dubais $25 billion worth of imports were re-exported to the neighboring area.According to the
Dubai Ministry of Finance and National Economy, there are 150 ready-made garment factories within
the UAE, located primarily in Dubai and neighboring emirate Sharjah. The Middle East currently
ranks fourth as a fashion and clothing accessories exporter, accounting for nearly 5.5 percent of
world trade. The areas clothing and accessories imports are valued at $4.1 billion, and exports at
$11 billion.Other ventures such as the Burj Al Arab Hotel, Jebel Ali Free Zone, Palm Islands,
Dubailand theme park and the recent investment of $30 billion in Dubais aviation infrastructure
also have strengthened the citys promotability as an area on the commercial fast track.
The Dubai World Trade Center is one of the most modern exhibition facilities in the Middle
East.These statistics indicate this area of the world, and Dubai in particular, has considerable
potential as far as the textile industry is concerned in terms of growth and innovation. Considered
the center of commerce and trade among the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Dubai has the most open
foreign trade policies in the region - with few trade restrictions, a free and fair business
environment and tax exemptions, according to show organizers.Recognizing this potential and the
value of its global trade environment, the UAE has begun a campaign to become the regional textile
hub of the Middle East. It is purportedly ready to lift an eight-year ban on the establishment of
ready-made garment and textile factories, a move sure to invigorate manufacturing production and
growth if realized. Dubais government has backed a $54 million project to create Dubai Textile
City - a joint venture between the Textile Merchants Association and Dubai Ports, Customs and Free
Zone Corp. Phase one of the city project, already underway, will locate more than 250 textile
manufacturers within an area totaling 185,000 square meters. Goods moving through the new city will
be exempt from import duties.Visiting DubaiA city rooted steeply in Islamic tradition, Dubai
promotes itself as a contemporary city that caters to the lifestyles of its more liberal visitors
with modern-day amenities and entertainments.The second-largest of seven emirate states in the UAE,
Dubai spans almost 4,000 square kilometers. The 5,000-year-old city began its modern development in
1833 when the current ruling family of the UAE first settled there. At the time, Dubais 800
inhabitants made their living trading pearls and fish, tending date groves, and raising goats and
camels. In the 1970s, after almost 150 years of colonization, the British ended its occupation and
the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai formed the federation of the UAE.
Dubai is considered the center of commerce and trade among theMiddle East, Africa and
Asia.According to show organizers, Dubai recently was ranked as one of the least expensive cities
in the world when comparing hotels, restaurants and local transport, among other factors. The area
features affordable accommodation - from two- to five-star hotels and fully serviced apartments, as
well as an array of modern-day shopping malls and traditional souks.The major shopping districts of
the city are Beniyas Square, Al Dhiyafah Road, Al Satwas,Al Karama, Al Rigga Road and Al Faheidi
Road. Merchant hours are generally from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Dont hesitate to bargain when shopping, and especially when paying with cash -it is still
considered the norm not only in souks, but also in modern-day shops.
March/April 2005
