Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain’s future is bright and brilliant if the plethora of displays at the Gulf Property Show and its sister shows are anything to go by.
The Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre in Sanabis played host to the real estate extravaganza, which was held in conjunction with the Gulf Construction Expo and the Interiors Expo in neighbouring halls.
Organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) welcomed thousands of visitors and hundreds of exhibitors during last week’s three-day event. It was the largest business-to-business and business-to-consumer integrated showcase to be staged in the Northern Gulf and exhibitors hailed from across the kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, China and across Europe.
His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa stressed the importance of the real estate sector in the kingdom’s economy, while inaugerating the trio of exhibitions. He was welcomed by HCE’s chairman Anwar Abdulrahman and MD Jubran.
Around 150 exhibitors participated and the opening ceremony was also attended by 450 guests including ministers, senior officials, ambassadors, businessmen, as well as members of the media.
HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman said: “Amidst the challenging economic climate the marquee exhibition for the Northern Gulf’s booming construction and building sectors proved popular once again.
“The overall prospects for Bahrain and the region remain strong with billions of dollars-worth of exciting projects currently ongoing. From civil infrastructure, to the development of new residential, hospitality and commercial districts … the signs are positive.”
Delighted Ahmed Suleiman, exhibitions director, explained: “This year we had a record number of companies sponsoring the event. In addition, the strong workshop programme and the ‘On the Wall2’ art exhibition offered a wider variety of events within the traditional expo format which proved particularly popular with visitors.”
Often the most enticing part of these events are the carefully-constructed models detailing new developments. An unfathomable number of hours must have gone into these creations, which include painstakingly planting hundreds of tiny plastic people, cars, boats and palm trees alongside the larger hotels, malls and residential buildings for the ultimate model moments.
There was also a warm atmosphere around the place, with every nook and cranny of the huge exhibition facility filled with businessmen greeting each other and members of the public, smiling faces giving talks and demonstrations to eager onlookers, and even excitable young families searching for their first property investment.
Amongst the impressive exhibits was Bin Faqeeh Real Estate Investment Company’s residential development, Waterbay Residence by Roberto Cavalli, the eastern tower of the Waterbay development, created in collaboration with the internationally-renowned Italian fashion house, Roberto Cavalli.
Another particularly welcoming section was the Eagle Hills Diyar stand, where its luxury waterfront development Marassi Al Bahrain was showcased by friendly hostesses with smiles to match their personality and knowledge, who provided plenty of facts and figures about the exciting venture.
The project is set to offer premium homes, high-end shopping, leisure and entertainment. The 875,000sqm development comprises 6,000 residential apartments, 245,000sqm of retail space, and Marassi Galleria – a shopping and entertainment destination which will house some of the world’s top retailers.
Dr Maher Al Shaer, managing director of Eagle Hills Diyar said: “The Gulf Property show, one of the largest real estate exhibitions in Bahrain, has always witnessed tremendous success year-after-year and our participation in such prestigious events is key. We were proud to be part of the latest edition.
“As of now, more than 40 per cent of the Marassi Al Bahrain infrastructure has been completed, with Marassi Shores Residences is expected to be handed over in September and Marassi Boulevard in March the following year.
“These are significant milestones for us as we are meeting our promise to handover projects on time. We are also anticipating the completion of Marassi Galleria in Q1 of 2021, as our contractors are doing a great job which has led to the delivery of this much-awaited project being fast-tracked.”
And, Golden Gate, Bahrain’s tallest freehold residential tower currently under construction in Bahrain Bay, concluded a very successful participation at the event, our sister newspaper, the GulfDailyNews, reported this week.
Golden Gate, also the golden sponsor of the Gulf Property Show, witnessed ‘incredible successes’ with a record sale of more than 20 free-hold residential units sold in just three days.
Its stand was also home to a wide range of exclusive ‘Golden Offers’ that were offered to customers and clients who purchased and reserved units during the three days of the Gulf Property Show.
The 140,000sqm project, located in the heart of Bahrain Bay, consists of 746 apartments spread over two residential towers of 53 floors and 45 floors.
Golden Gate’s vice-president of marketing and sales Eman Al Mannai, said: “We’re very happy with our performance at the Gulf Property Show. The successful exhibition and event was a great testimony to Bahrain’s commitment at restoring confidence in the real estate sector.
“We are also very delighted to have sold over 20 units – a record high for us in just three days.”
As all of the developments on show at the expo come to completion, it’s no doubt that Bahrain will continue to position itself as an attractive investment location. Many more deals were signed and partnerships kindled during the event, with details set to be revealed in the coming months.
Furthermore, the Gulf Interiors section had also been expanded this year, with those workshops and new art exhibitions drawing the crowds in.
Works from more than 40 artists from around the world were on display in the On The Wall 2 Show, which featured pieces from a plethora of mediums, including painting, photography and sculpture.
One such artist showcasing his work is Vasilis Goumas, below, from Athens, Greece, whose fantastic creations based around the ‘memory and immortality of the human being’ stunned onlookers.
He said: “I am very honoured being in Bahrain alongside so many talented artists. People here have accepted us and embraced us, with some of the best hospitality I’ve ever witnessed.
“Managing director of Al Hilal Group, Ronnie Middleton, saw my creations and invited me to the exhibition. He has been extremely kind and I thank him for allowing me to display my artwork to the people here.”
