Meed, the business intelligence expert in the Middle East, is staging its Middle East Steel 2008 conference at a critical time when demand for the product is high but supplies don’t match the volumes needed.
The conference, sponsored by Emirates Steel Industries, is scheduled for October 12-14 at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Dubai. 
Meed cited a recent report claiming that the cost of steel had almost doubled (an increase of 91 per cent) in the last six months. And while the steel industry was booming in the region due to the extraordinary number of major construction projects, there was a significant imbalance between supply and demand.
“The consumption of steel in the Middle East is growing at a phenomenal rate.  By 2010 the region is expected to consume 60 million tonnes a year, while expected to only produce 35 million tonnes per year.  This massive imbalance between supply and demand therefore means that the business opportunities for those involved in the region’s steel sector are immense,” Meed said.
“Building on the success of its previous two events, Meed’s two-day conference will explore the key issues and challenges and highlight the enormous potential for those involved in the region’s ever expanding steel industry.”  
Edmund O’Sullivan, chairman, Meed Events, comments:  “The Middle East Steel 2008 conference comes at an exceptionally exciting time for this sector. Production in the region is being rapidly expanded to try to keep up with unprecedented demand.  The gap between supply and demand, the search for investment by producers and the rise in fuel and energy costs are the biggest issues right now for the industry and ones that will be explored in depth at the conference.
“Anyone who has an interest in the booming Middle East steel market will make exceptional contacts at the conference – including steel producers, traders, raw materials suppliers, construction industry and other consumers and potential investors. Delegates are expected from all GCC countries and further afield including the UAE and Canada, Europe and Asia.
Key steel industry players contributing to the conference include Abu Backer Husain, COO, Al Ghurair; Ahmad Nazal, head of marketing, Al Rajhi Steel; Vikram Bhatia, director, Alam Steel; Younes Haida, regional director, Arab Iron and Steel Union; Lovraj Talwar, CEO, Emirates Rebar; Braham Sobhan, CEO, Esfahan Steel; Bhaskar Dutta, CEO, Jazeera Steel; Rob Noonan, CEO, Murray Roberts Steel, and Fahad al Thukair, president, Unicoil
Delegates for Meed’s Middle East Steel 2008 conference are also able to take advantage of a pre-event workshop on steel pricing, which offers a thorough understanding of the impact of the volatile cost of steel and raw materials in the region’s steel industry.