Paperworld Middle East, the region’s premier exhibition for paper, stationery and office supplies including the Playworld Village for children’s toys and games; and Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, a platform for gifts, accents, and lifestyle products, will run in December 2021.
Organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East confirmed the three-day dual trade fair will take place from 14 – 16 December 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Originally scheduled for May 2021, Paperworld Middle East, in its 10th edition, and the debut of Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East will instead open doors at the same time as the Expo 2020 Dubai – a global mega event that’s expected to attract more than 25 million visitors during its six-month run from October 2021 to April 2022.
The new dates also allow more time for the UAE’s rigorous covid-19 elimination strategy to take effect, with the country’s Ministry of Health and Prevention confirming nearly half (44 percent) of the nation’s population of 9.8 million has so far received a vaccine dose in what is one of the world’s fastest vaccination programmes.
Syed Ali Akbar, Show Director for Paperworld Middle East and Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, said: “We’ve been in regular contact with our stakeholders, and the decision to move Paperworld Middle East and Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East to December 2021 is widely supported by both existing and prospective exhibitors.”
“Paperworld Middle East has already signed on a number of leading global manufacturers including The Navigator Company, Aadar, Incas, and Legatoria La Carta, while the excitement around the debut of Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East is underlined by the participation of companies such as Loboand, Kyriacou, MAWA, and IN-ZU.”
“All our value-added features such as the Green Room for eco-friendly office supplies and Playworld Middle East Village, presenting the magical world of children’s toys and games, will return, so there will be plenty to look forward to when the industry safely reunites under one roof for three days in Dubai,” added Akbar.
“There’s the added bonus of the shows running at the same time as the Expo 2020 Dubai, an event that will be a wonderful celebration of international cooperation, and even more symbolic as we enter a post-pandemic world.”
Paperworld Middle East’s previous edition in 2019 featured 305 exhibitors from 42 countries, while attracting nearly 7,000 trade buyers and industry professionals from 110 countries.
The 10th anniversary edition in December 2021 will return amidst a period of sustained growth in the Middle East and North African (MENA) office supply and stationery market.
According to management consultancy 6Wresearch, stationery market revenues for the commercial and educational sectors in the MENA region will reach US$15.4 billion in 2022, four percent up from an estimated US$14.7 billion in 2021.
Education will account for 61 percent of stationery revenues (US$9.5 billion) in the MENA region in 2022, while the two Gulf nations of the UAE (US$4.4 billion) and Saudi Arabia (US$4.2 billion) will comprise more than half of the MENA stationery and office supplies market for both education and commercial offices that year.
Paperworld Middle East will also feature the Remanexpo Middle East Pavilion, a dedicated area for OEM and aftermarket printer supplies, computer hardware and software.
The first edition of Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East will meanwhile showcase mid to high-end consumer goods, specifically oriented toward the giving and dining segments.
Here, exhibitors will present the entire gamut of the gifting and dining world, from trendy designer gifts and luxury leather goods, to table decorations, crystal ware, glass, artworks, photo frames and candles, designer plastic and storage items.
