ALUMINIUM Bahrain (Alba) and Majaal Warehouse Company, the small and medium enterprises (SME)-focused developer and operator of industrial facilities, have renewed their support to Gulf Industry (GI) Fair 2015 scheduled to take place from February 3 to 5 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC).

Meanwhile, the fair’s organisers, Hilal Conferences & Exhibitions (HCE) have said the Gulf Industry Fair 2014 Virtual Exhibition is proving popular and will go on till January 18. HCE also announced two other initiatives, in one of which Training4Life and HCE are partnering with MedPoint to provide a platform for employment education for the industrial sector. The other is an innovative business promotion tool to encourage SME’s to advertise their products at specialist events.  The concept, brainchild of North Star Associates, allows companies the opportunity to market themselves   for three days either in person with a small panel and brochures or with an unmanned panel.

Alba is one of the world’s major primary aluminium producers

Alba’s outstanding support for the ‘Aluminium Village’ at the exhibition – the leading B2B show for the Northern Gulf’s industrial sector – comes at a time of exciting new developments at the company and its world-class aluminium smelter, which contributes some 65 per cent of Bahrain’s non-oil exports and employs around 10,000 people.

The smelter is set to begin its Line 6 expansion next year to add another 400,000 tonnes of annual capacity to bring total capacity to 1.3 million tonnes.

Sheikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, Alba’s chairman, said: “Bahrain’s importance as a major regional aluminium hub was reaffirmed by Alba’s successful hosting of Arabal (Arab International Aluminium Conference) at the end of November. Similarly, Gulf Industry Fair supports and enhances Bahrain’s reputation as an aluminium hub by providing a platform to promote the diversity of the kingdom’s indigenous upstream and downstream aluminium industries, and the sector’s significant national economic contribution.”

Anwar Abdulrahman, chairman of Al Hilal Group, the parent company of HCE, said: “The strategic support for Gulf Industry Fair of a global industrial heavyweight like Alba is integral to the promotion of our ‘Aluminium Village’ concept, since it encourages related local and GCC downstream companies to benefit from participation. This, in turn, underlines the importance of the sector to not only Bahrain’s national economy but also the region at large.”

Majaal, which has had a high-level presence at the Northern Gulf’s premier business-to-business industrial exhibition for the last two years, will be the principal strategic sponsor of the ‘Logistics and Industrial Facilities’ segment of the show.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of First Bahrain Real Estate Development Company, Majaal has enjoyed steady growth since its early 2010 inception, and as of earlier 2014 had achieved full occupancy of all three phases of its 37,000 sq m project, located at Bahrain Industrial Wharf.

In addition to developing high-specification warehouse space, it offers an array of value-added services such as business administration and logistics support, 24/7 security, state-of-the-art ICT capabilities, transportation assistance and fit-out management services.

Jubran Abdulrahman, managing director of HCE, commented: “For the last five years we have witnessed at close hand Majaal’s steady transition from vision to reality, and we congratulate them on the notable landmark of full occupancy. Through Gulf Industry Fair we look forward to providing our strategic partner with the ideal marketing and deal making platform as they move forward with new initiatives.”

Amin Al Arrayed, managing director of Majaal, remarked: “Our investment in Gulf Industry Fair has always paid off, and in the last two years we have signed tenancy deals at the show.

“As a positioning exercise, the fair is perfect for building the Majaal brand and showcasing the diverse activities of our tenants to regional visitors. Additionally, from a strategic perspective the fair is an excellent opportunity for us to invite potential customers – both local and overseas – to demonstrate to them how we interact with existing tenants and learn more about the industrial environment in which we operate.”

Present at the signing ceremony were Badie Marzooq, senior project manager, HCE, and Daniel Taylor, Majaal’s head of operations and finance. 

Gulf Industry Fair traditionally attracts exhibitors and business visitors across a wide spectrum, touching every aspect of industry from manufacturing to logistics and industrial hubs and from metals to chemicals as well as allied sectors such as training and safety.

The Gulf Industry Fair 2014 Virtual Exhibition online, is being hailed as an invaluable tool by previous exhibitors and visitors. Visitors from across the GCC, Europe and the Americas have visited the site in the first few weeks of its going live.

 “The Virtual Exhibition provides over 200 days of extra promotion and marketing for our companies exhibiting at this important exhibition. This is an invaluable service, unique amongst exhibition organisers,” said Jaap Vaandrager, Honorary Consul of the Netherlands

 The virtual exhibition will stay online until January 18, giving exhibitors at Gulf Industry Fair 2014 more promotion to online visitors to www.gulfindustryfair.com and the magazine readership of www.gulfindustryonline.com.

Visitors to the GIF 2014 Virtual Exhibition will be able to view interviews with the exhibitors as well as obtain information about a company’s products.

The success of the virtual exhibition has ensured that HCE will continue the innovation for 2015. “The virtual exhibition has been well received and we shall look to build on the popularity of 2014 for the virtual exhibition 2015 with an improved format and wider audience guaranteed. Gulf Industry Fair Exhibition in real time and online will maintain its status as the region’s premiere industrial exhibition,” says Jubran
Abdulrahman.

Jubran Abdulrahman (second left) shakes hands with Al Arrayed after the signing of the sponsorship agreement with Majaal. They are flanked by Marzooq (left) and Taylor

Details were provided of the initiative in which Training4Life and HCE are partnering with MedPoint. The arrangement will provide a platform for employment education for the industrial sector in line with Bahrain’s 2030 Vision through industrial vocational workshops taking place at Gulf Industry Fair 2015.

Medpoint Design and Events Management will be organising two leading seminars on “Behavioral Safety in Industry” and “Enhanced Productivity & Innovation for Profitability in Industry”. The seminars will be conducted by international safety speaker and leading authority on behavioral safety and leadership, Dr Bill Robb. 

Dr Robb, from the UK, has over 25 years of experience in his field. He has analysed over 400 accidents and incidents and delivered hundreds of face-to-face workshops and seminars on behalf of major global organisations across a variety of industrial and business sectors. 

In addition to the seminars delivered by Medpoint and Dr Robb, the Training4Life Workshops at Gulf Industry Fair will feature sessions by Ducab (Dubai Cables), Alba (Aluminium Bahrain) and Bapco (Bahrain Petroleum Company).

“The workshops will enhance the vocational training available to support the growth of the industrial sector, which complements the aims of the Gulf Industry Fair.” noted Jubran Abdulrahman.

“The partnering of Medpoint with HCE to deliver the Traing4Life Workshops delivers on Medpoint’s commitment to deliver quality training of relevance to improving the Bahrain labour force,” said Shaikha Noora Alkhalifa, chairwoman of Medpoint. The workshops take place during the three days of the fair.

The other initiative, the business promotion tool, will be trialled at the fair.  Jubran Abdulrahman, commented: “The  idea gives SME’s globally, a low-cost opportunity to take advantage of three days of exposure at Gulf Industry Fair 2015, which will make them visible to the audience of industrialists, businesses, decision-makers, buyers and specifiers to the region’s leading industrial exhibition.”

Tara Culhane of North Star remarked: “This is a refined version of the successful catalogue exhibitions promoted around the world. The companies regionally or internationally will have included in the price a 3m x 1m artwork prepared panel and printing, catalogue/product display and lead generation feedback all at a price cheaper than an airline ticket and normal stand space for leading exhibitions around the world.  Gulf Industry Fair is the region’s premiere industrial exhibition which offers a good marketing opportunity for small or ‘first time to market’ businesses.”