Bright future for Middle East’s AV industry
The audio visual industry in the Middle East looks to be full of optimism after one of the largest and most successful editions of PALME Middle East where numbers of visitors and exhibitors point toward major growth in the industry over the next few years.
Inaugurated by His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development, PALME Middle East ran from 26 to 28 April at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, hosting nearly 8,000 visitors, a 30 per cent increase from last year. Exhibitors showcasing the latest in AV technology and creativity numbered 240 this year up by 15 percent from numbers at the 2010 exhibition.
Among the highlights of the three-day exhibition was the PALME Middle East Awards, which took place at a glittering ceremony on the second day of the show, where innovation and technical excellence were duly rewarded in 13 separate categories.
Ferrari World, the world's largest indoor theme park, which opened in Abu Dhabi late last year, lead the way at the awards, taking home two separate gongs on the night, including the Best AV / Video Solution in a Commercial Development, and the Best 3D Projection of the Year for their spectacular 'Speed of Magic' show.
Other winners included Christie Digital, the visual solutions provider, which took home the award for the Most Innovative New AV Product of the Year for their new Christie MicroTiles product, and Fisher Marantz Stone, which topped the Best use of Exterior Lighting category for their work on the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa.
PALME Middle East, now in its ninth year, set the platform for a number of new product launches and industry announcements from dozens of exhibitors. American pro audio firm Meyer Sound revealed their decision to set up headquarters in Dubai in response to growing demand in the MENA and Indian subcontinent.
"PALME Middle East has always been seen as a comprehensive exhibition with a broad but focused scope on professional lighting, audio, music, entertainment, audio visual and systems integration solutions," said Eben Botha, Exhibition Manager, PALME Middle East.
"Our greatly increased visitor and exhibitor numbers this year demonstrated the healthy state of the industry at the moment, and we are confident next year's show will see even more growth, as we look to build on the success of this year".
PALME Middle East returns to the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from 1 to 3 May 2012 and is organised by Informa Exhibitions plc, the largest publicly owned organiser of conferences and courses in the world with more than 10,000 events annually.