KAOUN International, the newly incorporated event organising company of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and dmg events, have signed a joint venture agreement to develop an international portfolio in the food and hospitality sectors. The new partnership promises to build on the portfolio of business and consumer events such as GULFOOD and The Hotel Show and help bring them to new markets.
KAOUN International’s portfolio has 20 business and consumer events spanning sectors such as technology, food and hospitality, sustainability, broadcast and satellite, automotive, talent development and leisure marine.
As its first international market expansion, the new joint venture will launch The Saudi Food & Beverage Show & The Saudi Food Manufacturing Show in Riyadh from 20-22 June, 2023. The inaugural event will be affiliated to GULFOOD Global.The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia will be rebranded for September 2023 to include the broader hospitality, HORECA and interiors markets. dmg’s existing food and hotel events in South Africa will also move under the new joint venture.
“The dmg & KAOUN International partnership combines market leading food and beverage industry events with international infrastructure and an existing hotel and hospitality portfolio,” dmg president Matt Denton said. “Having grown our regional and international operations significantly in recent years, dmg clearly shares KAOUN International’s view of high-growth opportunities in the region."
“Developing new markets and providing access for our global food and beverage business community to emerging growth markets is our collective focus,” KAOUN International CEO Trixie LohMirmand added. “Working together, dmg & KAOUN International will leverage our existing complementary experience, networks and brands to create a synergistic portfolio of food, hotel and hospitality events that offer far greater opportunities within targeted geographies.”
KAOUN International was established to organise and manage events internationally. Management says the company will leverage the 40-year legacy of DWTC’s events management business and drive future MICE sector opportunity in the MENASA region.
dmg events, which organises more than 80 events across 25 countries, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT), one of the largest media companies in the United Kingdom with total revenues of around £1bn (US1.15bn).
