Business

Dubai, UAE, 30 March 2015: International exhibitions play a key role in enhancing the economy as they provide an ideal business environment for networking, signing deals, and exchanging expertise. Global statistics reveal that the size of the global exhibition and conference industry is around US$300 billion.

The latest reports by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that the percentage of renewable energy in the overall energy mix has been increasing year-on-year. Savings achieved by the global economy as a result of decreased carbon emissions are also on the rise annually. These achieve tangible benefits, especially in the economic sector. Dubai has established itself in the above-mentioned sectors. The latest figures show that the exhibition and conference industry contributes AED 12 billion to the Emirates economy.

The Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2015), the annual specialist show organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), is one of the key elements in the local and international exhibition and conference sector. It is one of the most prominent interactive events and platforms worldwide in energy and water, especially renewable and clean energy, and the environment. WETEX 2015 is an ideal interactive platform for decision makers, experts, companies, manufacturers, and investors to learn more about industry best practices and keep track of the latest developments and global technologies in water, environment, oil, gas, conventional and renewable energy, and related industries. It gives the chance to exhibitors, participants, and visitors to make important deals and achieve important economic results that support the development of the business sector.

WETEX 2015 is held under the umbrella of Green Week 2015, from 21-23 April, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in conjunction with the World Green Economy Summit (WGES), establishing Dubai as a global hub for green economy and sustainability.
The exhibition and conference industry has become one of the key foundations of Dubais economy and business tourism as it significantly contributes to the Emirates GDP. The success of WETEX, with its huge international participation, further boosts Dubai's economy by spurring activities related to exhibition and conference tourism. This is reflected on more labour force, support companies, hotel occupancy, tourism spend, and added-value. It also increases Dubais attractiveness in this field and other areas, as it reflects the positive impact and economic revenue from Dubais international events and activities. This will also support similar activities in the future.

WETEX supports the economy and business, by serving as a major global platform for vital economic sectors. Over the past 16 years, it has made a significant contribution to developing water, environment, oil and gas, and conventional and renewable energy. It has succeeded in supporting the national economy significantly through agreements and deals signed during the exhibition. These directly support the economic, social, and environmental development of Dubai, said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, President and Founder of WETEX. WETEX brings together international companies, experts, specialists, and others interested in the exhibition. Learning about new and more efficient solutions or getting competitive prices for the products contribute to reducing the production costs for their organisations or companies. WETEX is also a perfect opportunity for exhibitors to market their products, innovations, and businesses by meeting face to face with stakeholders such as government organisations and major companies. This makes it easier for them to make deals than the conventional ways.

Modern challenges and rapid developments, especially in the economic sector, require everyone to keep up with changes, update work mechanisms, and use modern technologies. This is done in parallel with avoiding negative environmental effects that result from economic and business growth.
Conserving and sustainably managing resourcesand avoiding waste have become top priorities for governments and economists. Resource sustainability leads the discussions on public economy as it is key for sustainable development. WETEX 2015 supports the approaches for conserving natural resources, energy sustainability, and stimulating economic growth and sustainable development by providing effective solutions for these issues.

The exhibition highlights the latest developments and technologies across the water, energy, technology, environment, oil and gas, green buildings, and environmental sustainability sectors. Governments and energy companies look for ways to reduce reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity because of its waste of important natural resources, pollution, and high production and consumption costs. WETEX 2015 plays a key in addressing these issues by showcasing ways to produce, transmit, and distribute electricity through clean and renewable resources. It also highlights tools and methods to raise the efficiency of oil resources in electricity production processes, and the latest technologies for them.

As for water, WETEX attracts the best global expertise in treating waste water, desalination technologies, and rationalising water use. This effectively contributes to limiting waste of water that can be used by humans and best use or save it as a reserve on one hand and get rid of environmentally-harmful water on the other. Here lies the economic and environmental added value of WETEX, as costs for providing potable water decrease in the long run. Money dedicated for this issue could be redirected to other aspects that support the overall economy in the country that adopts these state-of-the-art water technologies.

For example, desalination technologies in GCC countries have provided potable water from sea water in an environment where it is scarce. This has achieved many economic benefits and saved them from importing water and overusing groundwater. Desalination technologies are continuously developing and improving. WETEX 2015 is one of the most important global platforms which showcase these developments. As far as agriculture is concerned, drip irrigation is one of the key factors in saving a great deal of water and increasing the area of cultivated land. This leads to increasing agricultural production in many countries and supports their economies. Water technologies have been improved significantly in the past few years. WETEX brings together all these solutions for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Consumers of electricity and water are interested in reducing the amount of their monthly bills. Thats why, it is important to raise awareness on rationalising use, which WETEX 2015 works to achieve. It showcases the best energy-saving products, such as high-efficiency electrical lamps, environmentally-friendly home appliances, and tools for reducing water use. These mainly benefit the consumer and provide significant financial savings.
Consumer awareness about the importance of rationalising electricity and water use is one of the main objectives of WETEX 2015. Sensible use of resources is essential for their sustainable management, said Al Tayer. WETEX is held under the umbrella of Green Week, which achieves significant economic benefits for individuals, consumers, governments, companies and organisations as producers. This in turn benefits society as a whole, added Al Tayer.

Green Buildings will capture a big chunk of WETEX 2015. These buildings are environmentally-friendly and use less energy. A large part of electricity produced in the region goes to air conditioning. Green buildings play an important role in reducing electricity use and saving energy sources. Thermal insulation technologies used in green buildings saves energy used for air conditioning more efficiently. This eases the load on the electricity network, and saves part of the money that goes to producing electricity to be used for other aspects that support the national economy. WETEX is also an important global platform for oil and gas technologies. With growing international interest in reducing costs in this important sector, especially as it requires large investments compared to other sectors, WETEX provides the latest tools and state-of-the-art technologies for energy producers and professionals. These solutions will help reduce costs, speed up production processes, and limit waste. This achieves economic as well as environmental benefits.

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