Expo Centre Sharjah has discussed with Algerian Company of Fairs and Exhibitions (SAFEX) ways to strengthen collaboration in joint exhibitions and bolster the presence of Algerian businesses in various events and exhibitions hosted by the centre throughout the year.

The discussions were held during a meeting at Expo Centre Sharjah between HE Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, and HE Ali Farrah, Director General of SAFEX. During the meeting, which was attended by several officials from both sides, the two entities explored avenues for| fortifying their bilateral ties, promoting best practices, and exchanging expertise and experiences within the exhibition and conference industry.

Highlighting the robust economic relationship shared between the two nations, HE Saif Mohammed Al Midfa expressed that the current climate is conducive to enhancing cooperation in the exhibition and conference sectors. He emphasized that the meeting has been fruitful, providing a crucial platform for developing action plans and identifying opportunities to deepen collaboration and coordination between Expo Centre Sharjah and SAFEX.

Al Midfa further underscored the commitment of both sides to work collectively to support various economic and commercial sectors within both countries through enhanced contributions to the exhibition and conference sector.

For his part, Ali Farrah spoke highly of the extensive experience and leading position of Expo Centre Sharjah within the regional exhibition centre landscape. He noted that these attributes have inspired SAFEX to actively pursue enhanced cooperation opportunities with the centre.

Towards the conclusion of the meeting, Ali Farrah embarked on a tour of Expo Centre Sharjah’s facilities. During the tour, he gained insight into the centre’s capabilities, current expansion projects aimed at increasing exhibition capacity, and its overall infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the third edition of the Al Dhaid Dates Festival, organised by Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Al Dhaid Expo Centre, witnessed great success in its active participant competitions and impressive turnout of visitors from across the nation, who came to enjoy the event’s heritage activities, spirited contests, and auctions presenting the finest date varieties.

The festival, which wrapped up on Sunday evening, offered an innovative platform for celebrating the palm tree and invigorating and developing local palm cultivation and date production industries, while supporting palm farm owners and farmers. The festival played an important role in opening the door for these stakeholders to display and market their products, increasing their sales.

The festival’s general coordinator Mohammad Musabah Al Tunaiji stated that the Al Dhaid Dates Festival continues to witness great successes, establishing its status as an important annual event eagerly awaited by farmers and palm farm owners to promote their date products through the festival exhibits and competitions. Since the festival’s inception, he said, all its competitions have seen fruitful participant engagement, reflecting the commitment of palm owners and farmers to improving their farms’ production quality, and their eagerness to showcase the finest date varieties, for which the UAE is renowned.

Several participants praised the SCCI’s efforts to organise the event for the third year in a row, and its commitment to boosting the momentum of competitions, heritage activities, and product marketing. These actions, they said, have contributed to attracting a large number of visitors. Al Dhaid date farmer Saif Obaid Al Tunaiji said he was pleased to participate in the festival, which he said fostered a strong competitive atmosphere with the aim of enhancing the level of date production and highlighting top-quality dates.

The festival was also attended by a number of productive families whose distinct participation reflected the diverse heritage of the UAE through a wide array of palm-related handicrafts and traditional crafts.