Dubai, UAE: With demand for corporate promotional items on the rise, and interest in the Middle East market growing among international manufacturers and suppliers, Paperworld Middle East 2018 will for the first time feature a dedicated section devoted to Corporate Gifts.

The new section has been launched as the show’s organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East responds to increased inquiries from leading international manufacturers and suppliers about the growing appetite for gift articles and corporate promotions of all kinds in the Middle East. The sector has been enjoying sustained growth at both regional and international level over the past few years.

“We have launched the dedicated Corporate Gifts section at Paperworld Middle East in response to the increased need for a representative trade platform where professionals and organisations dealing in all kinds of gift articles and promotional products are able to connect and collaborate with their peers from across the world,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East.

“Paperworld Middle East’s Corporate Gifts section enables exhibitors, buyers and traders to compare and contrast products of competitors as well as present their product portfolio to a relevant international audience over three days.”

Alpha Art Gifts, a UAE company that specialises in gifts and promotional products is the official partner for Paperworld Middle East’s Corporate Gifts section. Its 2017/18 gifts catalogue comprises more than 250 items, from office accessories and writing instruments, to electronics and children’s toys.
What sets it apart though according to Managing Director Mohamed Alayat, is that it’s the only Middle East Company with an in-house design team that creates, manufactures, and keeps in-stock its own corporate products, ready to ship anytime, anywhere.

“Around 20 percent of our catalogue are our own designs, but all items have our own signature,” said Alayat. “We’re also the first gifts and promotions company to have an e-commerce mobile app. We launched our Event app last year so customers can select any item, check its availability, upload their logo, pay, and confirm the exact costs right through to final delivery, not only in the Middle East, but world-wide.”

Alayat said Alpha Art Gifts’ sales revenue has increased 20 percent annually since it started operations seven years ago, growing from a one-man show to more than 20 employees currently, adding: “A lot of our products are related to sustainability and we also try to deliver happiness. Dubai’s vision is to be sustainable, happy, and smart. That’s our vision also and our gifts and promotions reflect that.”

Now Alpha Art Gifts is opening up new channels as the official partner for the new Corporate Gifts section at Paperworld Middle East 2018, the region’s dedicated trade fair for paper, office supplies, and stationery.

Alpha Art will headline a star act of more than a dozen companies specialising in the A to Z of promotional items, from leather luxury goods and travel products, to electronics and fashion accessories.

Alayat added the regional corporate gift market has served Alpha Art Gifts well: “The Middle East is such an amazing market that, while challenging and competitive, is also hugely rewarding. Our focus right now is to be the leading distributor in the field of corporate promotional gifts although we also have end-users from the Government sector and big private corporations.

“We also opened recently our own showroom at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre which has been really successful. We’ve received a lot of on-the-spot business from exhibitors at various shows looking for last minute branded promotional gifts and we even received an enquiry from a Canadian company requesting a franchise opportunity.”

On Paperworld Middle East’s new Corporate Gifts section, Alayat added: “I’m excited to be involved in 2018 as the official Corporate Gifts Partner. I want to do something special at the show that presents us as one of the region’s leading gift and promotion companies, reaching out to new potential clients in stationery and office supplies, but also existing clients in promotions and advertising.”
Evergrow International is another leading supplier of exclusive gifts and promotional items in the Middle East. The UAE Company is exhibiting at the co-located Leatherworld Middle East exhibition, but has a large repertoire of Corporate Gift items, from sunshades, pens, key chains, power banks and USBs, to from leather items such as wallets, portfolios, organisers, and passport holders.

Harish Khiara of Evergrow International said: “Most of our leather products come from India, and we have a selection of partners that manufacture our orders and send to us to distribute among our customers. We’ve been in the market for 24 years in the UAE. We expect that in the coming years, Africa, which is a major market for Dubai, will grow further.

“The hospitality sector is also very good here for promotional gifts because tourism and tourism-related items are strong. We do supply retailers now which is a relatively new channel in addition to wholesale. About 40 percent of our business now is retail, the rest being wholesale. Over the last five years, because of tourism, retail has become stronger,” added Khiara.

Paperworld Middle East 2018, will run from February 27 to March 1, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The leading trade platform in the region for paper, office products and stationery will have a host of new features this edition.

They include The Green Room, a dedicated section for environmentally friendly products with eco-credentials and a series of one-day seminars highlighting the latest industry trends and developments; and Wrap Star - the region’s only gift wrapping competition.

Paperworld Middle East is co-located with Leatherworld Middle East, the region’s premier showcase of leather goods, gift articles and supplies. More information is available at: www.paperworldme.com