Exhibition World Issue 6 — 2019 | Page 47

Case study Animal Forum was standing room only due to a mix of inspiring local and international speakers. Host sponsor Marmum Dairy alone reported signed deals worth US$7.3m at the event and organisers report three other notable ‘mega’ deals signed on Day 2 of the event – a key demonstration of the investment opportunities in the region. DLG’s Armstrong tells EW: “The results support our belief that the environment for livestock farming in the region would make EuroTier Middle East the perfect platform to pull the livestock sector together and point the way for its development in the future. ADNEC’s state of the art venue and professional team supported us to achieve our goals for the inaugural edition and we used the same on our communication channels as well.” Khalifa Al Qubaisi, ADNEC Chief w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk Commercial Officer adds: “The levels of investment at EuroTier shows that ADNEC truly is the home of business events in the MENA region. We look forward to welcoming EuroTier back in the future.” EW also asked Armstrong what the main challenges had been when launching EuroTier Middle East in Abu Dhabi? “Expectation management was one of our major concerns when delivering EuroTier Middle East 2019. EuroTier in Hanover hosts 155,000 visitors and 2,600 exhibitors and it has become a well known brand over the span of three decades. EuroTier Middle East 2019, even though it carries the same DNA as the tradefair in Europe, had to take in to consideration the various nuances in the market and the region, forging new partnerships and the Above: Marmum Dairy signed US$7.3m worth of deals at the show Above: Christopher Armstrong Above: Khalifa Al Qubaisi competitive landscape.” What did he think was Abu Dhabi’s best USP for the show? “In addition to the state-of-the- art facilities at ADNEC that adds the perfect finishing touch to the tradefair, the professionalism and competence of the team at ADNEC helped get the job done smoothly. When you work in countries where there is a language barrier to begin with you tend to take these other luxuries for granted.” And how did Abu Dhabi compare with the other two EuroTier launches in Brazil and China? “We are very happy with our tradefairs in Brazil and China, as with EuroTier Middle East, as we have received similar feedback from our stakeholders across the board. We look forward to providing a high- quality tradefair that adds value for our stakeholders and growing the offering to them with each edition.” How would DLG approach the second edition in Abu Dhabi and what are the dates for that? “We launched EuroTier Middle East in November 2018 and in 10 months we were at ADNEC welcoming our first visitors through the door. EuroTier 2021 is taking place at ADNEC 29-31 March. We want to use the longer run up time to work on some interesting ideas that we just did not have the time to execute in the last edition. In addition to that we want to grow, so we need to get out there and get our message to our current and potential clients.” What other advice does DLG have for other organisers considering launching/cloning/bringing their tradeshows to Abu Dhabi? “Strong partners/partnerships that work is paramount for success when considering bringing a brand into a new market. Having the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Security Authority (ADAFSA) as a strategic partner was critical to taking the first step in the new market,” said Armstrong. Issue 6 2019 47