Major brands continue to target Dubai as the regional in MENA, says experts
Dubai – United Arab emirates, November 25th 2012: under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Majed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, The Big Entertainment Show will kick off next Tuesday at the Sheikh Saeed Hall – Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Big Entertainment Show (BES) has become the largest show in the MENA Region specialized in Media and TV content, character and brand licensing, game developing and publishing, in addition to all trading companies working in the export and import business.
This unique event combining the “Dubai International Character and Licensing Fair”, “Dubai World Game Expo” and “MYCONTENT”, attracts investors, businessmen, specialists from the TV and Radio Broadcasting industry, media content industry and talented professionals from the MENA area and the world. The Show also attracts representatives from manufacturing companies, trading companies, and specific exporting and importing companies all under one roof.
More than 100 companies from 55 countries are participating at the BES this year with remarkable participation from South Korea, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Hong Kong, Germany, Portugal, UK, Turkey, India, KSA, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, there are more than 300 cartoon characters and brands showcasing at the show, where the local participation had registered 30%. The combined event is expected to attract more than 4,000 visitors over two days.
Character licensing is one of the largest segments of the licensing business, and is probably the part most recognized by the general public. The largest portion of character licensing business is aimed at children, through a broad range of merchandise categories such as toys, apparel and publishing. The great appeal of international character brands is strongly demonstrated by the retail sales in the region. The retail market in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates in general has become one of the largest and most attractive locations for businesses in the MENA Region. The UAE retail sale is expected to grow from more than Dh113.87bn back in 2011 to reach Dh151.36bn in 2015. This tremendous growth is due to the continuous increase of the UAE’s population which is expected to increase 8% by the end of 2015, according to BMI (Business Monitor International).
Moreover, the worldwide online gaming market is projected to grow to $20 billion by the end of 2012. Experts in the Game industry in the Middle East and game developers had revealed lately that the ME online gamers community are now considered the fastest growing among others globally and that the industry is witnessing a phenomenal growth. Moreover, demographics show that the gaming industry in the Middle East will continue to boom for many years to come due to the unprecedented number of gamers whom are increasing every day in addition to the increase in the number of internet users which is estimated at 70 million users in the ME and are expected to reach 150 million in 2015.
As for the media content, participants agree that the creation of a vibrant local content production industry is key to the growth of the TV industry in the Arab world and it has shown development over the past two years. Geographic hubs for TV series production are expanding across the region, with some of the Gulf States making the most of the recent unrest in traditional markets for content production such as Egypt and Syria. As the number of markets producing content increases, so will the breadth of content available for viewers and the ensuing competition can only be a positive development for creativity in the industry.
The event’s agenda features a number of activities including the Dubai World Game Summit, the Entertainment Content Summit and the Licensing Seminar. The summits will bring forth recommendations to tackle challenges and changes in this evolving industry. The sessions will create an excellent platform for businessmen, investors, and leaders of this industry to interact and discuss the latest updates and productions at a time where the worldwide market for entertainment content is growing at a very fast pace, including the Middle East Market.
The Dubai World Game Summit is a leading platform for professional game developers, publishers and investors to explore updates on the gaming industry in the region. The summit focuses on game development in the MENA region including online games, social games, console games, game design, business and management, localization, and visual arts.
While the Entertainment Content Summit continues to be the key platform for professionals to explore current trends, challenges and opportunities in the fields of TV production and content acquisition, animation, mobile content, digital media, and film.
Licensing on the other hand has been a key role in the growth and development of the entertainment business in the region. This conclusion was highlighted by the strong retail sales of properties springing primarily from feature films, TV Shows, Video Games and Online Entertainment. The Licensing Seminar will cover the following topics: Best Practices in Licensing, Licensing Law for Beginners, How to Pick a Winning Licensed Property and How to Sell a License.
The Show is scheduled from the 27th - 28th of November at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and is sponsored by Rotana Group, MBC3, Televisa Internacional, Korea Creative Content Agency and is supported by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment and the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA).
For more information please call Nada Saaydeh at 0503790044