A security show in the Middle East right now could, in theory, expect to do well on the back of the current unrest. There is after all much that needs to be secured in these times of upheaval and redress.
However, Epoc Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition Intersec does not trade in non-lethal ammunition, nor in any equipment that could be used in the suppression of civilians. Only the equipment used to protect the police or emergency services themselves is on show. It is common knowledge that Messe Frankfurt won’t trade in sex, drugs or arms.
Intersec has experienced a steady 15 per cent growth over several years (an indicator, says Epoc Messe Frankfurt, that we can discount last year’s Arab Spring), growth shared by stablemates Beautyworld Middle East and car aftermarket event Automechanika Middle East, according to CEO Ahmed Pauwels. But it is not the political climate that is key to the show’s success. It is the organiser’s coordination with its national Government that is key to this expansion.
Epoc Messe Frankfurt attributes the show’s success in part to Germany’s trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Commercial deals between Germany and the GCC reached €17bn (US$21.5bn) last year and this bilateral trade is expected to grow steadily thanks to the development of mutual cooperation and engagement between both public and private sectors.
Next year Intersec moves to Mumbai, India, a move it claims it is doing on the back of a further successful trade mission by the German Government, campaigning it expects will emulate the brand’s success in the Middle East.
Economic and political partnership
Speaking at a press conference in Dubai marking the 10th anniversary of Messe Frankfurt’s Middle East regional subsidiary EPOC Messe Frankfurt, German Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economy and Technology Hans-Joachim Otto explained Germany and the GCC are creating new-found export channels.
“Since 2004 we’ve had a strong strategic partnership in political terms, but now we have a strategic partnership in economic terms as well,” he told EW.
Trade volumes between the GCC and Germany, one of the world’s foremost exporting nations, have more than doubled over the last decade, according to figures released by the Arab German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2010 trade between the two was worth €16.98bn, elevating the GCC’s status as one of the leading export markets for German products.
In 2010 Germany was Saudi Arabia’s third-largest trading partner with exports to the kingdom totalling €5.7bn, up 17.9 per cent on 2009. The UAE was the largest buyer of German products in the Arab world, importing €7.5bn worth of goods, making Germany its fourth-largest trading partner. These figures do much to help net major national exhibitors/buyers.
“Trade events are strong platforms for companies and manufacturers of products and services to gain access to new and untapped markets,” said president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt Wolfgang Marzin. “Over the years of organising trade events around the world we have tried to tailor our portfolio to closely match the requirements of our partners and the regions they serve.”
If only every country’s government had such a vested interest in the ability of its exhibition industry to consolidate international trade.
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