Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS), on Monday, welcomed the return of its employees to the offices with 100 per cent capacity in accordance with the decision of Sharjah Executive Council (SEC), as well as the wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

The resumption of work came after taking a number of precautionary and preventive measures to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

From disinfecting the entire building and implementing the occupational health and safety requirement to installing AI-based thermal cameras and using employee ID cards instead of the fingerprint, the other measures include rearranging work stations to maintain physical distancing, installing glass barriers between offices, putting up Covid-19-related signs and posters everywhere in the Centre, providing face masks, gloves, and sanitizers, and disinfecting offices before and after the workday.

While appreciating the tremendous efforts made by the employees during the remote working time, Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, the CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, urged them to continue to work with the same spirit of positivity and efficiency for the good of the emirate, pointing out that the challenge they faced have earned them lots of skills, especially technical skills, paving the way for everyone to make the most of these skills to strengthen institutional and technology capabilities and to continue the journey to success and prosperity.

He noted that the office reopening is a step forward towards the resumption of events and exhibitions, pointing to the Centre’s keenness to qualify its staff for the post-Covid-19 stage through specialized workshops and courses.

“The decision of brining staff back to governmental offices at 100% capacity enhances the confidence in Sharjah Government’s efforts in terms of dealing with and managing crises. This is manifested in the Government’s resilience and ability to boost the economy in order to achieve prosperity and sustainable growth. This would help maintain Sharjah’s prominent position and role as an international trade and investment hub connecting regional and global markets,” Al Midfa called the employees to keep working diligently to serve Sharjah in particular and the UAE in general, stressing that all the precautions have been taken to maintain the health and safety of employees and customers, emphasizing the importance of abiding by the preventive measures to counter Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile a recent study by the Expo Centre Sharjah (ECS) on the reality of the global exhibitions sector and the prospects amid the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that 74 per cent of those participated in the study underlined that virtual shows are seen as important complementary to the physical exhibitions, while 60 per cent said that online exhibitions will substitute physical ones in challenging times.

The study was conducted in cooperation with GRS Research & Strategy, Italian strategic research and consulting firm focusing on research, analysis, and strategy for the exhibition and large event industry. GRS is also a partner of “Explori”, and, along with it, holds the biggest data-set of event performances in the world.