UAE based companies that participated in Project Qatar have signed up a total of 17 deals worth around $60.1m, it was announced on Tuesday.
Led by Dubai Exports, more than 140 local companies that specialised in construction, contracting and the buildings materials sector, took part in the exhibition at the UAE pavilion, which took up around 3,000m2 of exhibition space at the event.
“UAE companies were able to demonstrate their strength at Project Qatar 2012, as evident from the remarkable turnout at the UAE pavilion. A survey conducted by Dubai Exports, in coordination with the participating companies, showed a bright outlook on future deals,” explained Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Exports.
“The local companies expect to close around 1,715 deals worth around $1.06bn this year as a result of their participation in the exhibition,” he added.
Al Awadi said that this year’s Project Qatar had seen a significant increase in the number of Qatari and international traders, investors and professionals from a number of diverse sectors, including facilities, services and infrastructure. Equipment and machinery, as well as green building, was also covered at the event.
According to figures released by Dubai Exports, more than 20,000 people visited the UAE stall over the course of the exhibition, with the majority of visitors coming from the Arabian Gulf, North Africa and Europe.
Al Awadi added that he hoped to increase the number of local exhibitors by around 10%, and expand the size of the UAE pavilion by around 15% by the time the next edition of Project Qatar comes along.
“Most of the UAE companies that attended Project Qatar confirmed that GCC and international businessmen, investors and business owners succeeded in closing deals worth millions at the event and were able to initiate discussions that may lead to future deals,” said Mohammed Al Kamali, director of Export Market Development at Dubai Exports.
“The number of visitors to the pavilion also rose by over 25% compared to the previous year,’ he added.