‘Dubai WoodShow Forum 2010’ highlights challenges and opportunities in tapping into Middle East wood market

‘Dubai WoodShow Forum 2010’ highlights challenges and opportunities in tapping into Middle East wood market

Interactive presentations to help industry professionals enhance skills and capabilities offered through ‘Dubai WoodShow Workshops’

April 14, 2010

The inaugural ‘Dubai WoodShow Forum 2010’, a series of exclusive keynote sessions currently being held as part of the ‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’, the Middle East's biggest wood-focused exhibition of its kind, is highlighting the challenges and opportunities in tapping into the Middle East wood market. The 4-hour conference is being held daily during the show’s three-day run from April 13 to 15, 2010 at the Dubai Airport Expo, and is supported by AHEC as the ‘Official Knowledge Partner’ and the American University in Dubai as the ‘Academic Partner’. Interactive presentations to help industry professionals enhance their skills and capabilities are also underway at the ‘Dubai WoodShow Workshops 2010’, another new activity at the ‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’.

The first day of the Forum focused the spotlight on logistics, with talks on the subject delivered by two high level officials from Damco Middle East (formerly Maerks) - Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Elwine, who discussed ‘Logistics & Supply Chain for the Wood Sector in the Middle East’; and Chief Operations Officer Steffen Steensbaek, who presented a case study on ‘Identifying the Key Requirement for Successful Logistics Partnership Selection’. In addition, Mohammed Al Banna, Vice President, Economic Zones World (JAFZA) - UAE, also talked about the perspective of logistics hubs developer and free zone authorities on scalable and flexible logistics opportunities for the fast growing and transforming needs of the wood industry.

With a focus on sustainability and green building, the second day of the forum witnessed a broad discourse on the latest regulations, policies and trends in the wood industry. Rupert Oliver, Director, Forest Industry Intelligence (UK), Orn Gudmundsson, Chairman, American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) - USA, and Nabyl Chenaf, Chair, Architecture and Interior Design Department, American University of Dubai, UAE will lead the discussions. The forum will conclude with several talks that will review forward-looking trends and technological innovations on the woods sector, and will feature leading experts including Michael Pfeifer, President, M+M Wood Solutions (Canada), Joseph Hamouch, President, J. Hamouch Lumber (France), Tom Johnston, General Manager, BM Trada - Middle East; and Alasdair McGregor, Business Development Executive, BM Trada Certification.

“Expansion, diversification, and further growth opportunities are the goals we have set for this year’s show and the motivation for the introduction of the ‘Dubai WoodShow Forum’ to our annual agenda,” said Dawood Al Shezawi, Managing Director, Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions. “We are anticipating excellent results for the Forum in terms of the value of information exchanged and the networks bridged during its inaugural edition.”

Representatives from the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), BM TRADA Certification and HOMAG Group (Germany) are conducting the ‘Dubai WoodShow Workshops 2010’, which offers small groups of 20-30 registered delegates reliable methodologies and tactical reviews of their operational requirements. The workshops’ curriculum includes both European and American timber grading sessions, which was presented by Bob Sabistina, Grading Consultant, AHEC, during the opening day.

A lecture on sustainability and certification for the timber industry, delivered by Alasdair McGregor, Business Development Executive, BM Trada, was one of the highlights of the second day. The final day of the workshops, which will include an onsite visit to the Homag Training Centre & Laboratory in Jebel Ali, Dubai, will be followed by a discourse on sanding and finishing technologies by Finishing Technology Expert Joachim Voigt from Venjakob Maschinenbau (Germany) and Paul Mosley, a Sanding Technology Expert from Butfering Shleiftechnik (Germany).

“The high impact discussions within the Forum and the Workshops covers a wide range of issues, which will provide a practical learning experience for players, especially in terms of generating revenues, reducing costs and unlocking the unexplored market opportunities, particularly in the Middle East region. I believe that ‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’ holds significant potential to create a major effect on the wood industry through high value information exchange and the vast opportunity it is providing executives from across the globe for networking and expansion, and we look forward to utilizing the response we have obtained this year to offer our features on a bigger scale in the coming years.” concluded Al Shezawi.


About Dubai WoodShow 2010
‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’ aims to provide business opportunities to its participants by enhancing the confidence of manufacturers and traders and facilitating high value sales transactions. The event features the participation of major technology brands in the world covering the entire production chain in the wood sector. They will showcase top quality lumber and highly-polished hardwood, in addition to environmentally friendly systems of processing they employ for all wood types. The 2010 edition is dubbed as the largest exhibition of wood and woodworking machinery in the Middle East, and is expected to witness the successful participation of more than 150 companies from 40 countries.

H.E. Dr. Rashed Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment, inaugurates ‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’

H.E. Dr. Rashed Bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment, inaugurates ‘Dubai WoodShow 2010’

Landmark industry event to offer more than wood

April 13, 2010

H.E. Dr. Rashed Bin Fahad, the UAE Minister of Environment, inaugurated today, April 13th, 2010, at the Dubai Airport Expo, the 5th edition of the Dubai WoodShow, the Middle East’s one and only wood-focused exhibition.

Over 150 wood and wood products suppliers from more than 40 countries are exhibiting at the show in a bid to meet the mounting regional demand for wood-based building materials. Benefitting from the surprisingly healthy state of the wood sector in the region sustained by a strong growth during the economic crisis and ensuing recovery, the Dubai WoodShow 2010 is slated to register record attendance and a substantial increase in the volume of transactions closed during the event.

“The economic crisis is on everybody’s mind,” commented Mr. Borghini from Ligno. “It has been a very difficult year but it is going away. The Dubai WoodShow is an important event for us, it is the appointment any wood company in the region cannot afford to miss.”

Noted this year is an impressive number of first time exhibitors attracted by the shows’ long standing reputation as the number one and exclusive platform for sellers and buyers from the entire wood spectrum, including producers, manufacturers, process-innovators, logistics service suppliers, traders and investors.

Visitor over the past 3 years, Heinrich Ostertag from HVB (Germany) has many reasons to enjoy this year’s WoodShow as he is attending for the first time as an exhibitor in joint-venture with Arbros Forest FZE. “We are using Dubai WoodShow to simultaneously celebrate and cement the newly signed partnership between HVB & Arbros Forestry FZE. The show’s offers us the promises of a blissful wedding ceremony!”

Another newcomer marching on HVB’s steps, Mohammed Akbar from United Emirates Metals & Abrasives said that the event provides his company with the opportunity to introduce its brand to the region and connect with their main target market: the GCC countries.

In order to woo a new breed of visitors and expand its exhibitors’ pool, the Dubai WoodShow series has experienced major changes in its structure and revamped its formula.

“We are here to create synergies, to build business networks, and to facilitate knowledge transfer. This is why in 2010, we have introduced the Dubai WoodShow Forum, the first regional conference to echo & voice the wood industry leaders’ thoughts, the WoodShow Workshops to strengthen our local woodworkers’ skills, the WoodShow Roundtables to speed up buy-sell processes,” stated Dawood Al Shezawi, Managing Director, Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions, organizers of the Dubai WoodShow.

Not to be left aside or unquoted, the WoodShow longtime exhibitors strongly expressed their support for the event. Mr. Sultan from Hammariyah Free Zone Authority applauded and praised the show’s commitment to empowering the region’s wood export-import business and consolidating UAE re-exportation hub status. “We have seen many improvements since 2005, there are more companies, tangible growth and we see positive signs of market revival in 2010.”

Mr. Enriko Caranza, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah-based ItalConcept, a respected veteran in the regional and international wood community and WoodShow preferred business partner since the very beginning, gladly shared his thoughts on the matter: “I am confident that the show will attract a much different type of crowd this year. The crisis has deeply affected buying patterns, customers have become more cautious, cost-conscious and more diligent in their purchasing strategy. I believe that the visitors this year come with a predefined purchasing agenda and target specific products. I have been there, done that and seen many things but at the end of the day, Dubai WoodShow is our own, the one and only regional meeting platform where serious wood business is discussed and worthwhile deals are negotiated.”

Joining the queue of loyal exhibitors, Neil Koster, who flew from South Africa to represent the much established Gulf Timber, boasted proudly that he hasn’t had the time to rest but is excited to be here again as he will undoubtedly expand his client portfolio.

For the UAE-based Surface Treatment Finishing Experts Building Materials, participating to WoodShow 2010 is an entire new story. As the sole and exclusive distributor in the Middle East of renowned French surface treatment brands like Kremlin Rexlin, there is much more at stakes: bringing new technologies & optimum productivity in finishing processes.

Dubai WoodShow 2010 does indeed, offer more than wood.

About Dubai Woodshow 2010
‘Dubai International Wood & Wood Machinery Show’ is the largest wood and wood machinery exhibition in the Middle East. A highly specialised exhibition that assembles companies from the entire spectrum of the wood industry under one roof, the event offers exhibitors an excellent networking arena where they can build strategic relationships with buyers, traders and investors. The annual event has gained global repute for providing a platform for awareness campaigns and trading of a wide range of wood products, including MDF, plywood, hardwood, softwood, veneers, timbers, parquet, laminates, finished wood merchandise and paper products. Dubai Woodshow 2008 witnessed its strongest visitor influx, recording the attendance of 5,000 individuals, from wood and wood machinery buyers to investors and woodworking enthusiasts, marking a 35 per cent increase compared to the 2007 event.