BEHIND THE SCENES OF MEBA 2012
The Middle East Business Aviation Event takes place 11 to 13 December 2012 at Al Maktoum International Airport – Dubai World Central (DWC).
After just four editions MEBA is firmly established as a world class event in the business aviation calendar. The event is widely recognised as a must attend platform which offers unrivalled access to the Middle East market in a highly focused environment. For three days you will see business aviation at its best – an event dedicated to connecting buyers and sellers alike.
The event is produced by F&E Aerospace on behalf of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA); the role of MEBA as a show is underpinning MEBAA’s work in the region - highlighted by Ali Al Naqbi, Founding Chairman of the association “We have 500 business aircraft registered in the region and expect an additional 875 aircraft in 2020. It is vital that the demand and growth for business aviation is monitored so standards in safety, risk management, recruitment, and charter, for example, are not compromised. MEBA provides the ideal platform to promote our industry and its contribution to aviation and the economy amongst the government and investors.”
A new venue that cannot be missed@MEBA
It will be a memorable occasion for Dubai, as MEBA prepares to host the very first event at the heart of DWC the Al Maktoum International Airport. Phase one of the completion has been successful - built for the future, the airport will eventually have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of annual cargo capacity and 160 million passengers.
Holding MEBA at this new venue will provide the ideal opportunity to experience business aviation in a whole new arena and by putting the spotlight on a static display of around 60 state of the art aircraft will demonstrate just how far the region has developed and grown.
Whats new@MEBA?
MEBA 2012 will not only develop in size but will also include new focus areas concentrating on key aspects of business aviation; such as VIPinteriors@MEBA with first time exhibitors Alsalam Aircraft Co and OnAir, Business Airports@MEBA will feature TAG Aviation and Fujairah International Airport, Helicopters@MEBA will include Hawker Pacific and finally, a pavilion of luxury good and services - Luxury@MEBA including watches, jewellery, hotels and hospitality.
In addition to the new focus areas MEBA will also host country pavilions -Kallman Worldwide is organising the US pavilion, showcasing American business aviation and values at its best, whilst another company to host a national pavilion is Malta Enterprise - assisting around 10 Maltese companies to showcase their latest innovations and products. These new features will help the show achieve a growth to 375 exhibitors from an estimated 35 countries, which will be about 10% up on the 2010 event.
What to expect@MEBA?
It’s an exciting time for MEBA, brand new venue, new pavilions, new exhibitors and new focus areas– these developments demonstrate how far MEBA has come since its inception, with the fifth edition set to raise the bar.
MEBA 2012 is expecting around 7,000 visitors in attendance; the previous event in 2010 attracted 6,200 visitors from 33 countries – around 40% of visitors were from outside of the Middle East and Africa with 17% from Europe, shortly followed by 16% from the Far East & Indian subcontinent and 6% from Americas; a trend that looks to set to continue for 2012.
Related Events@MEBA
As part of MEBAA’s on-going strategy they have taken the initiative to organise a principle forum for gathering, understanding and communicating the needs of the business aviation community a day before MEBA with the Middle East Business Aviation Conference (MEBAC) taking place on 10th December at the Address Hotel in Dubai Marina.
The conference will include speakers such as H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the GCAA discussing the impact of the Arab spring, Rob Wilson, President of Business and General Aviation who will present Honeywell’s renowned Business Aviation Outlook for 2013 and a c-level panel discussing how best to deal with illegal flights and the grey market.
Q&A with F&E Aerospace, Managing Director, Alison Weller@MEBA
Since MEBA’s first edition, the show has emerged as the third largest business aviation event. How has this been achieved over the past 4 editions? What are the important factors for its commercial success?
MEBA is based in a growing market. The Middle East is considered one of the fastest growing business aviation markets in the world.
We have found our shows have grown substantially over the years as the aerospace supply-chain views the Middle East and particularly Dubai as one of their growth markets.
In this part of the world particularly and until recently, business jets were once perceived as a form of transportation for the affluent but now, they have become recognised as an invaluable aid to executive performance, which has brought a host of new customers into the market.
The event is moving to Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport - Dubai World Central (DWC) this year. What is the significance and what are the implications of this move?
Hosting MEBA at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport - Dubai World Central (DWC) is a testament to the size and importance of business aviation in the UAE. The old venue at Airport Expo is no longer available but Dubai recognises the importance of hosting events like MEBA and offered us the use of the Airport whilst they are building a new purpose built venue for aviation events.
The fact that the airport is not an exhibition hall has given us a few logistical challenges
with the freight access into the exhibition area as we only have departure gates to work with!
But by planning ahead we can overcome these small obstacles and will not really see much affect on the overall show. The benefits of the layout of the airport the smooth flow from exhibition halls to the chalets and Static Park make it as good a venue as the previous one.
What categories do you expect to have a significant presence at the show including manufacturers, suppliers etc?
The MEBA event offers access to the entire supply-chain of the business aviation sector. From the OEMs such as Airbus, Boeing, Gulfstream to the FBOs such as Arabasco, Jet Aviation and Royal Jet to the leasing companies, insurance brokers, financiers, operators, pilots and suppliers.
What is the size of the show in terms of Exhibition Space and Static Display?
The Exhibition space total area is 19,033sqm and the Static Area will be approx. 40,000sqm.
Visitors can register online now to pay a discounted rate at just US$40 for three days’ attendance before 14 November online at http://www.meba.aero/visit/visitor-registration
Press registration is also live online at http://www.meba.aero/press-registration
