Mixing it up in the Gulf

There is a good deal of activity in the Gulf region among exhibition organisers trying to build a key event to link Asian traders with Middle Eastern buyers. We reported back in April that Global Sources was launching a Dubai fair. Back in December, we had noted Kenfair's plans to launch a fair in Bahrain.

Today, we noticed a piece on the Trade Arabia web site announcing another China products fair in Bahrain for September, this one launched by another Hong Kong company, New Century International Exhibitions. Can't find any background on that company although it's event is listed by the Bahrain Convention & Exhibition Bureau with which we recall Kenfair was partnering on its event. A check then on the Kenfair web site shows that their Asia Expo in Bahrain has been "postponed to the end of 2006" with the "exact date to be announced in due course".

It seems that peace agreements may not be breaking out all over the Middle East.