International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF) 2016 kicks off Wednesday, 14 December

HH Sheikh Hasher Bin Juma Al Maktoum, Director General of the Dubai Department of Information inaugurated Wednesday, 14 December 2016, the 31st International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF 2016) that will continue until 16th December (Friday) at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Under the theme “smart living”, the exhibition has seen the presence of officials and decision makers from the public and private sectors from different parts of the world who represent international companies operating in the lifestyle, fashion, electronics and home equipment, beauty and cosmetics, and health and fitness and other basic and luxury goods as well as contractors, consultants and suppliers.

"The International Autumn Trade Fair is an international exhibition for consumer goods and appliances. The 31st edition comes at the time were UAE’s non-oil trade reached 553.4 billion AED during the first half of 2016,” said Satish Khanna, General Manager, Al Fajer Information and Services, the organiser of the event.

He added: "The UAE is considered a central business hub of the Gulf countries, Iran, South Asia and East Africa. The UAE is among the world’s most dynamic markets in terms of foreign trade. Specialized trade fairs such as this one help to promote trade and foreign trade growth in the coming years.”

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) report of 2015, the UAE exported industrial products to countries such as India 9.6%, Iran 5.6%, European Union 2.2%, Switzerland 1.9%, Iraq 1.3%, while the rest of the world accounted for 26% of exports of the country. The imports came from the EU 16.3%, India 13.6%, China 7.1%, US 6.9%, Japan 3.9%, and the rest of the world 23.9%.

“The surge in commercial trade of industrial products has helped us to attract more than 250 exhibitors from all over the world. Visitors are viewing latest commercial products from various sectors such as general consumer goods and fashion, electronics, handicrafts among others over three days,” said Rupashree Singh, Exhibition Manager.

The organizers quoted latest figures of the Federal Customs Authority (FCA), and revealed the UAE non-oil trade reached 553.4 billion AED during the first half of 2016 compared with 535.7 billion AED in the same period last year, an increase of 17.7 billion dirhams, representing a growth of 3%, while the value of exports grew by 9% to reach 88.8 billion AED.

International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF 2016) specialises in  products such as pieces of art and antiques and handicrafts, artificial flowers and plants, auto parts, bags, building materials, carpets and wall coverings, cosmetics, perfumes, crystal products, electrical devices and electronic, fashion , jewelry products, food, among others.

Al Fajer Information & Services (AFIS), a unit of Al Fajer Enterprises - a fully nationally owned company, was established in the year 1970. Its core activity is articulated around organizing exhibitions and shows, as it has a direct impact on the host country’s economy and it facilitates a highly targeted interface with customers by developing a two-way communication channel.