By Ayman Adly
Staff Reporter
|
|
The second edition of QPS 2013 (Qatar International Exhibition for Pool & Spa) adds significant value to the Qatari market in this field, said a senior official of the General Directorate of Civil Defence (GDCD) yesterday.
Inaugurating QPS 2013 at Doha Exhibition Centre, head of the Prevention Department at GDCD Col Ibrahim Abdulrahman al-Muftah stressed that the size and number of companies taking part in the exhibition reflected the success of the event, with each of them displaying the best technology, innovations and products.
Col al-Muftah said the Qatari market was developing fast and such events were keeping pace with this by introducing the latest innovations. He also emphasised that the GDCD’s participation was primarily concerned with enhancing safety-related practices in the area of swimming pools.
The exhibition, which concludes tomorrow (Friday), enjoys the participation of leading companies in the field such as Watermaster, Metro Pools, Fiore Rosso, Watertech, Hydro Master and Khan al Saboun, besides the GDCD.
“The space of the expo has increased by 50% compared to last year’s edition, with more variety in products and a wider scope of companies. Almost 33% are international companies and some of them are entering the Qatar market for the first time. We did an estimation of the deals conducted six months after last year’s expo and it amounted to more than QR35mn. This year, I expect the business deals to exceed QR75mn,” said Walid Wahba, CEO of event organisers Heights Exhibitions & Conferences.
Wahba expected the number of visitors at the specialised expo to exceed 8,000 as public interest in this field of swimming pools and spas is increasing in Qatar due to the high standard of living in the country. He also expressed strong expectations in the “solid Qatari market, which is expanding at an exceptional rate”.
Dr Bader Hassoun, chairman of Khan al-Saboun, said his company is participating in and sponsoring the expo for the second year in a row as he is keen to display his organic beauty and hygiene products. “Since 2002, we have maintained a very strong presence in Qatar and have at least six different outlets for our organic products,” said Dr Hassoun.
Lebanese singer Reem, who is also Miss Arab World 2013, said she likes the organic products of Khan al-Saboun and Qataris are aware of the importance of natural products for beauty, relaxation, wellness and hygiene.
Ahmed Abdeen, sales and marketing manager in the Qatar branch of Fiore Rosso, makers of creative garden designs and outdoor furniture, said the Qatari market has great potential in this field as the number of luxury hotels is growing and there is a construction boom as well.
Simone Pucyliatti, division manager of Italian company Technogym, said Qatar has a growing reputation for being a regional and international sports hub.
One hall has been dedicated to women’s beauty and fitness at the exhibition. A number of technical workshops are also being conducted by experts pertaining to the safety and security of swimming pools and gyms. These are expected to come up with a number of recommendations to be considered by the GDCD.
Several local officials and ambassadors of some countries took part in the inaugural ceremony besides a large number of business executives. The expo is open daily until Friday from 3pm to 10pm.
‘World’s most expensive soap’ to be launched today
Khan al-Saboun is launching the “most expensive soap in the world” at 7pm today at QPS 2013, being held at Doha Exhibition Centre.
Amir Hassoun, global marketing manager of Khan al-Saboun, said the soap is made of pure gold dust, olive oil and virgin honey and embedded with diamonds. It weighs around 100gm and carried a price tag of $3,800.
“It is dedicated to Qatar and its great achievements in many fields, especially hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The name of Qatar is written on it in Arabic and we consider it as ‘Qatar Royal Soap’. It will be displayed afterwards at our branch in City Center Doha. The tag price will be $3,800.”