Iteca Caspian's opens int'l exhibition season in Azerbaijan

This April marks the opening of Iteca Caspian's international exhibition season in Azerbaijan, which consists of 23 exhibitions and conferences, some traditional yearly events and some new projects for 2012, the company's press release says.

Every exhibition is officially supported by Azerbaijani government bodies, and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's regular presence at a number of the exhibitions for several years serves to highlight the importance of the events and the attention paid to them by government authorities. The international status of the events is underlined by their UFI membership, where exhibitions must on an annual basis undergoes stringent audits and meet the organisation's standards in order to receive 'UFI Approved Event' status. Iteca's main industry exhibitions are supported by international organisations, and leading companies and Government bodies will act as partners to the events in 2012. Azerfon-Vodafone is the communications partner, AZAL is the official air carrier, Caspel provide technical support, the Baku Hilton and Caucas Point are the official hotels, and the official tour operator is Greenwich Travel Club. All exhibitions will take place at the Baku Expo Center.

The exhibition season opens with the leading event of the tourism industry: AITF, the 11th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair, taking place from 12 to 14 April. More than 200 companies representing over 60 tourist destinations are expected to take part in the exhibition, and for the third year running Turkey is acting as partner country to the exhibition. Bulgaria will present a national stand for the first time, with support from the country's Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, along with national groups from Hungary, Georgia, the UAE, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Exotic destinations will be widely represented at the exhibition, such as Thailand, the Seychelles and Mauritius, and among the local exhibitors are hotels that have just recently opened. The registration sponsor is the Azeri company SW Travel. Taking place alongside AITF, Horex 2012, the 6th Caucasus International Hospitality Fair, will welcome such well-known companies from the hospitality industry as La Cimbali, Santos, Robot Coupe, Rational, Winterhalter, Karma-Global, Rotondi, Scotsman, Modular, Bonnet, Sagi Spa, Rovabo, Danube International, Muehldorfer and Ingrid Lesage Creations, along with other companies from Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and France. The exhibition will feature professional catering and laundry equipment, household cleaning products, textiles, specialist crockery for hotels and restaurants, and IT systems for hotels such as booking and online payment technology.

From 15 to 17 May, WorldFood Azerbaijan, the largest food industry exhibition in the Caspian region, will for the 18th time bring together key figures from domestic and international producers and distributors, and companies and organisations from Azerbaijan, Belgium, India, Kazakhstan, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Czech Republic and Egypt will present their goods and equipment. The 6th International Agricultural Exhibition Agrihort Azerbaijan 2012 and the 2nd Caspian International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition Plastex Caspian 2012 will both take place alongside World Food Azerbaijan, in addition to Ipack Caspian, the 1st Caspian International Exhibition "Packaging, Tare, Label and Printing", which is the region's only event dedicated to the packaging industry. All areas of the industry will be represented at the exhibition: packaging machinery and technology, equipment for the production and design of packaging, packaging materials, and containers and finished packaging for various industry sectors.

Such a variety of specialised exhibitions helps to create a professional environment for exhibitors that is conducive to dialogue with industry professionals, sharing information, expanding partner and supplier networks, and consolidating market positions. Visitors can also discover interesting exhibition sections; find out about new equipment and services, and try out there and then various products from domestic and international exhibitors.

The main event in the eyes of the international energy community every year is Caspian Oil and Gas, the 19th International Exhibition Incorporating Refining and Petrochemicals, running from 5 to 8 June, an event that is constantly growing. The exhibition, the biggest oil and gas event in the region, will this year bring together over 300 companies from 25 countries, including major industry players, environmentalists and scientists. The Caspian Oil and Gas Conference, which takes place annually alongside the exhibition, will this year run on 6-7 June and welcome more than 500 delegates, who come together to discuss modern trends in the world energy sector and the role the Caspian region will play in them. The venue of the conference has changed this year to the Baku Hilton.

After successfully making its debut last year, the 2nd Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition will also take place from 5 to 8 June, presenting a wide range of equipment and services relevant to industries such as power generation, electrical equipment, alternative sources of energy, energy conservation and efficiency, cable and wire products, and lighting.

Bringing the first half of the exhibition year to a close, the TransCaspian 2012 and Road and Traffic 2012 exhibitions will be organised from 13 to 15 June. Transcaspian, the International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition, annually brings together leading hauliers, freight forwarders, railway and port operators, insurance professionals, manufacturers of freight loading equipment and customs and terminal managers, giving the event a reputation among new companies as the key to the gateway between Europe and Asia. Road and Traffic 2012, the 2nd Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition, aims to showcase the latest developments in road construction, introduce information technology to road traffic management, and devise new methods of urban transportation. The highlight of the event's business programme will be the 2nd International Transport Conference Ports and Shipping on 14th June at Baku Expo Center, which will act as a meeting point for the whole industry and as something of a catalyst for securing useful contacts and further cooperation.

Beginning in September, the second half of the exhibition year will feature such annual events as the Education and Career, BIHE, Beauty Azerbaijan, BakuBuild, Aqua-Therm Baku, Caspian MebelExpo, CaspianRealty, CIPS Caspian and BakuTel exhibitions, which act as hubs for leading companies of their industries and enable the showcasing of developments in specific industry areas and of innovative technology and services, all of which play a major part in Azerbaijan's increasing investment potential. As this year is the Year of Sport, as announced by the President of Azerbaijan, the second half of the exhibition year will be opened by SportExpo 2012, the 1st Azerbaijan International Sport, Sports Equipment and Sportswear Exhibition. The event will further the development of both domestic and international markets for providers of sporting goods and services, and encourage cooperation between sports companies, federations, clubs, committees and colleges.

In this way, international specialised exhibitions in Azerbaijan will become important events in the professional calendars of their relevant industries. A number of innovations will set the 2012 exhibition season apart, such as the introduction of QR codes, printed on all promotional and conference materials of Iteca Caspian's events, which will allow instant access via smart phone to information on the exhibitions.

A system for scheduling business meetings will again be available this year on the official exhibition websites, enabling the planning of meetings with partners and clients in advance. Online registration for exhibitions is already underway, allowing completion of an online form to save time at registration in the Expo Center. There is also a range of services for the convenience of visitors, such as a Business and Press Centre, a café and restaurant at the venue, a complimentary coach service for transport to and from exhibitions, and many others.

All this means that the upcoming exhibition season will give professionals of all industry areas the chance to discover new opportunities in their industry, to meet with reliable partners, and, as the shortest route from manufacturer to market, to attract new companies to the Caspian region.


/Today.Az/