Dubai WoodShow clinches $70 million in business deals

Dubai: The three-day trade exhibition, Dubai WoodShow 2019 closed on a grand note on March2 14, 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The show recorded onsite deals worth $70 million.

The record-breaking show is the largest wood and wood machinery exhibitor showcase in the Middle East, which accommodated over 240 exhibitors from 45 countries with 48 first-time participants, 192 repeat exhibitors and a packed show of over 530 brands.

“The record number of exhibitors and visitors for this year’s show underscores Dubai WoodShow’s popularity in the Middle East and across the world. It also reflects the healthy performance and confidence of the industry and its vital role as a major driver for a healthier global economy,” said Walid Farghal, Director General of Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions, organisers of the Dubai WoodShow.

In addition to displaying innovative offerings, Dubai WoodShow also hosted a special conference led by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which has issued certification to close to 2 million hectares of forest worldwide. The conference focused on FSC certification’s benefits to businesses with specific focus on furniture and construction sector. Anushree Shukla, Value Chain Development Manager of FSC International, emphasised the importance of FSC certification for professionals of the industry, as well as how FSC can serve as a strategic marketing tool for wood and wood machinery companies to access new and emerging markets.

“This has been a great show, and most of the companies participating this year have had outstanding three days. The show is host to some of our main markets including the UAE, Africa and also countries like India, Iran and Sri Lanka which serve as the key drivers for the growth of our economy,” said Elizaveta Kopysova, Congress and Exhibition Division Manager and Senior Project Manager of AGT Communications Agency in Russia.

Dubai WoodShow is an international trade exhibition that showcases the latest wood products, woodworking, machine tools, and new technology. The event serves as a strategic platform for suppliers, manufacturers and machinery companies to showcase their products, innovative technologies, production scenarios and large-scale machinery to key players in the wood and woodworking machinery industry in the Middle East and North Africa region.

It may be mentioned that the show was inaugurated by Eng. Dawood Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al Hajiri, General Director of Dubai Municipality officially inaugurated the Dubai WoodShow at the Dubai World Trade Centre on March 12, 2019, in the presence of key international dignitaries and VIPs. The event ran until March 14, 2019.

It has been observed that Middle East is increasingly recognised as the primary location for supply of wood products, considering the growth of construction, furniture manufacturing sector as well as rising domestic demand. The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan and Oman are significant importer of wood products.

On the first day of the show, several trade visitors representing various segments of the wood industry, manufacturers, importers, businessmen dealing in furniture and wood products, had an opportunity to network and connect with over 240 exhibitors from 530 brands. In addition, they also had an opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and innovation in furniture manufacturing, wood machinery and its various products, as well as renew their existing trade relations.

Studies indicate that worldwide trade of lumber – a type of wood that has been processed into beams and planks surged in 2018. It was noted that of the ten largest lumber-exporting countries in the world, shipments with exports from Russia, Germany, Ukraine and Austria have witnessed an increase year-over-year.

The global wood industry has grown exponentially in the past few years, and the positive momentum is set to continue even in the Middle East, given the lead-up to Expo 2020. Visitors and participants at the Dubai WoodShow this year will have a significant opportunity to engage in trade, as well as have access to latest trends and insights of the industry all under one platform.

It may be mentioned that the UAE is the region’s strongest performer, with exports of US hardwood lumber to the market. However, a large percentage of what goes to the UAE is for re-export to neighboring Gulf markets, as well as to markets further afield. Nonetheless, a very buoyant construction sector in the UAE ahead of Dubai’s World Expo 2020, is expected to keep demand for American hardwoods at a high level.

Whether it is for a one- off furniture piece or a large-scale interior fit out, hardwoods from the United States are increasingly being specified, as they become better known and more widely appreciated. As a result, the United States is the number one supplier of temperate hardwoods to the Middle East. Timber is certainly experiencing a global renaissance as a preferred material and as architects and designers seek out natural material alternatives across a variety of applications.

Business Bureau, Gulf Today