Saudi Arabia is ‘1st foreign venue’ for Made in Qatar

Saudi Arabia has been chosen the first foreign venue for the ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition due to its “very close and brotherly” relations with Qatar, an official of the Qatar Chamber (QC) has said.

“Saudi Arabia is one of the most important trading partners of Qatar,” said QC director general Saleh Hamad al-Sharqi, noting that trade volume between Saudi Arabia and Qatar reached QR6.94bn in 2015.Al-Sharqi said the exhibition, slated on November 6 to 9 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition, will see the participation of Qatar’s “biggest” companies and various small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The focus of the exhibition, he said, will be on Qatari-made goods, particularly up-and-coming products that can be introduced to new markets.“The exhibition aims to promote Qatar’s industry sector and encourage the use of Qatari products, while updating the Saudi business community on the latest developments in participating sectors.“It also aims at providing opportunity for exhibitors and manufacturers to meet, while directly introducing Qatari products to the Saudi community, and encouraging Saudi businessmen and women to invest in industrial projects in Qatar,” al-Sharqi told Gulf Times.Aside from opening up new markets for Qatari companies abroad and promote the country’s SME sector, al-Sharqi emphasised that the exhibition is a “big chance” for many local firms and institutions to exchange experiences and secure business deals with their Saudi counterparts, as well as strengthen Qatar-Saudi economic partnership.“The exhibition shows Qatar’s efforts to encourage investors to enter the industry sector, which is key to sustainable development and forge effective partnerships between Qatari and Saudi businessmen and women,” al-Sharqi said.He said the number of participating Qatari companies at the ‘Made in Qatar’ event “is still growing” and more than 90% of the exhibition area has been booked.“The number of participants, including leading companies and factories, is expected to double compared to the previous edition, which attracted more than 220 companies and factories,” he pointed out.The total space of the upcoming exhibition would be around 10,000sq m, divided into various spaces for different exhibitors. He said the QC signed a deal with a Saudi company that will take charge of all the exhibition’s logistics needs.He added that the chamber will pay for the total cost of the exhibition, which is sponsored by a number of companies led by Qatar Development Bank.