Dubai, April 19, 2014: Decision-makers from key regional airports and aviation organisations have signed up as Hosted Buyers for the 14th edition of Airport Show taking place in Dubai from May 11 to 13, confirming its strong position as the worlds most sought-after airport B2B event offering vast business prospects for the global manufacturers and suppliers of technology and services.

This years event has already attracted 71 Hosted Buyers, up from the 60 last year and the organisers, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, are confident about reaching the 100 mark by the time the event takes off.

Last years Hosted Buyers Programme had gathered 60 representatives from 20 aviation authorities from 13 countries. In Airport Show 2013, there were a total of 1,128 pre-arranged meetings between hosted buyers and exhibitors and 52 meetings between exhibitors and Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects with selected visitors covering over $20 billion planned spending in airport development across the region.

This years show will see Hosted Buyers from Oman, Iraq, Morocco, Sudan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Tunisia, Zimbabwe and the host country, UAE. The combined investments planned by these countries in aviation-related developments are estimated to be worth $40 billion in a short span of time.

This years event will take place on 12,000 square metres of gross exhibition space with 250 exhibitors from 35 countries, six national pavilions and three unmatched networking platforms.

The Show organisers are hopeful about crossing the threshold levels it had fixed for this year in terms of participants and exhibitors and the volume of business leads they will be able to generate.

Aviation is among the five key sectors that will benefit from investments that will be pumped into infrastructure development in the run up to the Expo 2020 that the UAE will host in Dubai.

Daniyal Qureshi, Director of Airport Show, said: We are extremely pleased with the response and support we have received for the Hosted Buyers Programme. The record number of decision-makers signing up for the programme this year reflects the success of the Airport Show as a platform for regional airports to procure their requirements at their doorsteps from global manufacturers and suppliers.

This also speaks volumes about the growing appeal and reach of the Airport Show. The region, which is one of the fastest growing aviation markets globally, is keen on acquiring cutting-edge and innovative technology and solutions to meet its current and future needs for an exceptional aviation infrastructure.

The Airport Show-2014 will take place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

Co-located with the Airport Show will be the 2nd edition of Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF) and the debut Travel Catering Expo (TCE). The show is supported by DCAA, Dubai Airports, dnata, Dubai Air Navigation Services and Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP). Leading international and regional trade bodies such as German Airport Technology and Equipment (GATE), Danish Airport Group, British Aviation Group, British Airport Services and Equipment Association, Swiss Airport Suppliers, Netherlands Airport Technology, UBIFRANCE, Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), UAE Society of Engineers and Supply Chain and Logistics Group have continued their support to the show.

The Hosted Buyer Programme has been established as a well-received and highly-acclaimed feature of the iconic event since 2009, providing exhibitors an unparalleled opportunity to meet key officials and decision-makers from regional airports. In its first year, 41 officials from 19 airports and 11 countries participated in the programme. With over a 100 buyers at the 2014 Airport Show, the event plays a significant role in contributing to the growth of the regions aviation industry.