Record-breaking Visitor Turnout At Ramadan Fair

Sept. 5, 2011 - PRLog -- PRESS RELEASE

RECORD-BREAKING VISITOR TURNOUT AT RAMADAN FAIR

EXPO CENTRE SHARJAH SEES 43% RISE IN FOOTFALL DURING 24-DAY SHOW

SHARJAH

The just-concluded silver jubilee edition of the Ramadan & Eid Fair at Expo Centre Sharjah turned out to be one of the most successful recent instalments of the show.

The 24-day Ramadan & Eid Fair that got under way on August 11 and ended on September 3 attracted 139,246 visitors, as against 97,112 in the previous year, a 43.38 per cent increase.

“Ever since the launch of the show, the Ramadan Fair has been registering a steady growth… but a 43 per cent rise in visitor numbers is truly overwhelming. We did expect a double-digit rise but this increase is completely above our expectations,” said Mr Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah.



“While looking at the market conditions and geo-political events in the region, this growth could well be seen as a new record in the MICE history of the region. This success is especially sweet because it underscores the importance of Sharjah and Expo Centre as formidable players in the regional economy,” said Mr Al Midfa.



“We would like to thank all the exhibitors and visitors for this astounding success and this will act as a huge encouragement for us to work much more harder for the next edition of the show as well as for all our other shows,” added Mr Al Midfa.



The show had a modest start with a 13.74 per cent rise in visitor numbers on the opening day, but saw a huge jump of 89.78 per cent the very next day and from then on it had an impressive run. On August 31, the show registered an astounding 123.6 per cent rise in visitors.



Exhibitors have also received excellent response during all the 24 days of the show. They attributed the good turnout and rise in sales to better marketing strategies by Expo Centre Sharjah and the rising consumer confidence among residents and tourists.



“It looks like the urge to spend less due to the lingering effects of the global economic recession is over… visitors were very liberal in loosening their purse strings at the show. We did good business and plan to be here for the next show as well,” said Arthitt, a Thai exhibitor.



With the summer vacation ending, families who were out of the country had started returning and constituted a major chunk of the visitors. Besides, there were many who had started their shopping for the ensuing festive season that includes the Indian festival of lights Diwali, the Indian marriage season, Christmas and the New Year, among others.



Besides, back-to-school shoppers also turned out in large numbers to prepare their children for the school reopening that were scheduled after the Eid holiday.



The unique attraction of the show, however, was the multitude of events and activities which meant that there was something for everybody at the Ramadan & Eid Fair. Despite the main focus being shopping and entertainment, the show was thronged by many for its extensive line-up of activities that covered religion, art, heritage, healthcare and charity.



The Thailand Pavilion, which was organized for the first time, and special deals on electronics and computers products offered by E-MAX were very popular from the very first day and remained so throughout the show.



“The response has been above our expectations,” said Zafar Islam, DGM-Operations, E-MAX.



The extraordinary success of the show has also prompted many exhibitors to book their stalls for the next edition of the show. Many have also decided to upgrade to better locations within the halls and bigger spaces.



Being an integral part of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival, several activities of the Festival were held at Expo Centre Sharjah during the fair, which also led to the increase of footfall.



The show was organised by Expo Centre Sharjah in association with the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.



Ends

For more information, please contact:

P. Ravi
Manager (Exhibition Services), Expo Centre Sharjah
Tel: 06-5991177. Mobile: 050-6269781 Email: p-ravi@expo-centre.ae