Middle East trade fair and event organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt announced a major expansion in its regional presence. The Middle East subsidiary of The Messe Frankfurt Group, Germany, has been op-erating in Dubai since 2002.  Epoc Messe Frankfurt has expanded its offices and hired more personnel in response to the surge in demand for high-quality and focused trade shows in the GCC and the wider Mid-dle East.

“The region, being a high-growth area, is a promising market for manufacturers, distributors, industries and service providers worldwide,” said Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer of Epoc Messe Frankfurt. “Based in Dubai since 2002, we have grown along with the region by adding sector-specific shows to our portfolio in line with market demand. As the need for specifically tailored trade events increases in the wider region, and companies look to break into new markets, we have decided to expand our presence to better address the needs of the market.”

During 2010 Epoc Messe Frankfurt acquired more office space and hired highly qualified trade show specialists posting a 25% increase in staff strength as part of its endeavours to set up a sales partner network in the region. With this expansion the company is now responsible for all outward sales across the GCC for all Messe Frankfurt shows worldwide.

 “We are dedicated to providing our regional customers with industry-best service, quality and the best networking platforms in the exhibition business across a variety of industry segments," remarked Pauwels. "The fact that we are able to expand despite an increasingly difficult economy and the extremely competitive landscape of the exhibition industry is a testimony to our customer-first business philosophy. We look forward to building on this momentum, and expanding our offerings in 2011 and beyond,” he stressed.

Epoc Messe Frankfurt organises 9 focused trade shows in Dubai designed specifically for the Middle East market. Considered as some of the best organised and representative trade events in their field, shows organised by Epoc Messe Frankfurt include: Automechanika Middle East, Intersec trade fair and conference, Beautyworld Middle East, Hardware+Tools Middle East, Garden + Landscaping Middle East, Light Middle East, Paperworld Middle East, Playworld Middle East and Materials Handling Middle East.

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s largest trade fair organisers, with 450 million Euros in sales in 2010 and more than 1,770 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, 5 branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners. In 2010 Messe Frankfurt organised 88 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside German