The Bride Shows targeting F&B industry for 2015
With The Bride Shows in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2015, the event organisers are emphasising the importance of the exhibitions for the catering sector.
The show's gold sponsor is Royal Catering, which has already made its mark in the F&B industry, and exhibition director Daphne Cota said: "The Bride Shows 2015 will see thousands of consumers and people working in the sector flocking to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to experience the full raft of services available in the marriage process, from engagement to honeymoon and beyond.”
Revealing why the F&B industry should tap into this market, Cota added: "Bride Abu Dhabi / Dubai offer the perfect platforms for caterers and F&B companies to showcase their goods and services to a captive audience of approximately 30,000 visitors (combined total for both shows in 2014) including consumers, wedding planners and all kinds of bridal industry professionals."
She said: "Catering/food is naturally a big part of any wedding, but this is especially true in the Arab/Arabian culture where it is very important to have a lavish spread during the wedding and preceding ceremonies. This means there is a wide customer base for catering companies in the region and therefore a lot of opportunity to network at the Bride show.
"Bride Abu Dhabi sponsors Royal Catering and Emirates Hospitality Centre are two examples of F&B companies which have really seen the value in participation in the event and we have seen even further take up this year with related companies signing up to exhibit including La Brioche cakes and Weddings by DWTC."
Cota also revealed that according to a previous survey of the show visitors, 'Wedding Organisers/Catering' was the one of the top three things respondents would consider when organising their own weddings (wedding dress and jewellery being the other two).
She said: "In a recent visitor survey too it was indicated that visitors would like to see more of the wedding organisers (suppliers) at the show, with catering being a part of that. In addition, we discovered that visitors spending over 'AED 500,000' on their weddings has doubled compared to 2013."
Celebrating its 18th anniversary this year, Bride 2015 will take place from January 28-31, 2015 in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and from March 25-28 in Dubai International Exhibition Centre.
Features include The Fashion Catwalk, VIP Tea Garden, Fitness Zone, Bridal and Beauty Theatre, along with a series of competitions.
Further sponsorship will be provided by Silver Sponsors, Amwaj and R Designs, as well as Hair Sponsor, La Riche Spa, and Explore and Experience Sponsor, Al Rais.
Mohamed Jassim Al Rais, deputy managing director, Al Rais Tours & Holidays said: “Our presence in next year’s Bride shows is different than usual as after five years of successful participation as an exhibitor, we are moving our “Explore & Experience” travel show event to be incorporated into the Bride shows. This will be on a scale ten times bigger than before and will provide more than 15 destination choices for honeymoon and family trips, with all attractions and exclusive offers available."