Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend S.Babayeva / The exhibition season in Azerbaijan starts in March 2007. A leader in organising international exhibitions in the Caucasus, the Iteca Caspian company has planned holding of 21 projects, nine of which will make their debut this year.
The exhibition season is traditionally divided into two halves with an interval in July-August. Thus, the first half-year will be opened by the "Fashion and Accessories" exhibition which will become a long-awaited debut in the Caucasus. The first exhibition assembled about 20 companies. Despite the debut, the exhibition aroused much interest in famous foreign manufacturers of ready-made clothing from 11 world countries, including France, Italy, Germany, India, United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Estonia, Russia, etc. Thus, the visitors of the exhibition will have a chance not only to familiarise with new collections and receive information about the new trends in Fashion, but also get the right to be the exclusive representatives of companies in Azerbaijan. The Fashion and Accessories exhibition will present to the visitors' attention the following products: ready-made clothes, fabrics, footwear, bags, jewelry, accessories and sport wear. The exhibition to be held in Grand Hotel Europe on March 6 through 8 invites businessmen interested in the development of the fashion industry and creation of private business, as well as consumers who wish to dress beautifully and stylishly.
The next project is AutoShow exhibition. The exhibition will be held in the Sport and Exhibition Complex named after Heydar Aliyev from March 14 to 17. This year the exhibition has expanded its area by 55% as compared to the last year. 105 companies from 24 countries will present to the visitors' attention the following products: passenger cars, trucks and specialised automobiles, buses and automobile trailers. The section of spare parts, accessories and service equipment is very actively represented this year and, therefore, separated into an independent exhibition named AutoParts. AutoShow and AutoParts will take up the largest hall of the complex and the outdoor area. New companies that are participating in the exhibition for the first time will make up more than 60% of the exposition area. At the exhibition, the visitors will be able to familiarise with the paint-and-varnish equipment and products which will be exhibited for the first time. This year, the exhibition will widely present equipment for service centres and car care products. Premieres of new automobile models such as MERCEDES BENZ C-CLASS , MERCEDES BENZ CL-CLASS, NISSAN QASHQAI, PEUGEOT 207, FORD S-MAX will become the main event of AutoShow. These models will be put on sale only after the exhibition. Thus, the AutoShow visitors will get a unique chance of becoming the first of their owners. Owing to the wide assortment of the newest auto-cosmetics and tuning products presented at the exhibition, automobile owners will get a chance to change their cars beyond recognition, while the AutoParts section will help the visitors choose the best spare parts for their automobiles.
The 6th Azerbaijan Tourism and Traveling Exhibition will start its work on April 18. The exhibition will present companies in the following sections: airlines and air agencies; bus tours; tour operators; active and adventurous recreation; sport tourism; educational tourism; cruises; organisation of business and incentive-tours; airport support services; hotels, boarding houses, health centers; national tourism organisations; treatment tours into health-improving centers; sightseeing; staffing and staff training; booking and sale of tickets; ecological tourism. Palestine, Bulgaria and Catalonia ( Spain) will be represented with National stands for the first time at the exhibition. As the only specialised event in Caucasus, the AITF exhibition opens the doors to the world of traveling and tourism for everyone. Every year, the exhibition is visited by thousands of people. This year the exhibition will demonstrate the tourism products of local and foreign tourism firms. With the assistance of professional tourism consultants, the lovers of traveling will be able to choose a tourism route in accordance with their wishes and financial means. The general sponsor of the exhibition is the National Airlines AZAL.
Another new project of 2007 is the 1st Azerbaijan International "Hotel Business" Exhibition HotelExpo. The idea of organising such an exhibition emerged in connection with the fact that the tourism sector in Azerbaijan is actively developing and construction of new and reconstruction of already existing hotels is gathering momentum. Thus, the hotels are facing the issue of purchasing new quality technologies, equipment and materials necessary for equipping the hotels and entertainment facilities. Participants of the exhibition are the manufacturers and suppliers of materials, equipment and services for hotels, congress halls, holiday homes, restaurants, bars, clubs and entertainment centers. The Azerbaijan International Exhibition on hotel business HotelExpo is an event which will allow establishing effective and mutually beneficial ties between the consumers and suppliers of equipment, technologies, goods and services for the facilities engaged in the industry of hospitality. The exhibition will take place on April 18 through 20.
The 6th Azerbaijan International Exhibition on Transport and Logistics, TransCaspian 2007 will start its work on May 16. TransCaspian is an important strategic project for our country. As the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev said, the transport sector is the second priority for Azerbaijan after the oil sector and there is huge potential for development. The annual TransCaspian exhibition will once again assemble the leading transport structures from all over the world to present the latest information to the professionals of the transport industry. This year the exposition is expected to grow by 25%. This year, the new sectors of the exhibition are the production of autocranes, road and railway construction. The new countries participating in the exhibition are Estonia, Korea and Romania. The participation of the transport-logistic companies also increased this year. The TransCaspian exhibition differs from other projects owing to the active participation of State Structures from all over the world. So far, stands have been reserved by the Ministry of Transport of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company, Railroads of Azerbaijan, Russia, Byelorussia and Georgia, as well as by the Baku Port, Romanian Port and Ilyichevsk Port. The exhibition will last till May 18.
The 13th Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition InterFood Azerbaijan will be held on May 23 through 25. This year the exhibition expects about 70 companies from 15 world countries. The new countries offering their products to the consumers at the exhibition will be Saudi Arabia, Estonia, Latvia, Israel and Greece. This year InterFood Azerbaijan will present a new exposition section of apparatuses for bar coding.
The agriculture sector which has been actively developing over the past years has now triggered the creation of the AgriHort exhibition which will be held on the same dates as the InterFood exhibition. The agricultural exhibition will present the companies which offer: mini-factories for the agricultural industry complex; agricultural tractors, shed trailer machinery, equipment and spare parts; watering and land-improving machines; refrigerator units for fish and dairy products; flour-grinding equipment; mill equipment; granaries, vegetable stores, elevators; mineral and biological fertilisers, stimulators; oils and oil producing equipment; flour, cereals, rice, soy beans; means of protecting plants and animals; food products; seeds and planting stock; complexes of machines and equipment for poultry farms and fish industry; equipment for milking cows and storing milk; machines and equipment for processing of meat, milk and fish; agricultural products; equipment for packaging, storing and transportation of meat and dairy products; bakeries; confectioneries; veterinary and zootechnics; forage and additives. The fact that Azerbaijan companies not only from the capital city, but also from the regions take huge interest in the exhibitions is an indication of dynamic development of the given industry branches.
The first half-year of the season will be closed by the traditional Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition. For many years now the Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition and conference has assembled the specialists and key players of the entire region's oil sphere. Over the many years of its existence in the country, the Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition acquired the status of a business-forum. For many, this event is a key place where interesting discussions are held and achievements are demonstrated. Caspian Oil and Gas 2007 will be held on June 5 through 8 and this year it expects over 400 companies from 30 world countries, having expanded its exposition area by 25%. Every year, new companies enter the exhibition along with its traditional participants. This year, approximately 10% of the exposition will be made up by new companies which have never entered the Azerbaijan market before. Caspian Oil and Gas 2007 will occupy all three of the pavilions of the Sport and Exhibition Complex named after Heydar Aliyev, as well as the outside area adjacent to the Palace. This year, the organisers of the Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition are launching a new project - the First Job Fair for oil and gas vacancies which will be held concurrently with the exhibition. The fair will be reserved for the participants of the exhibition and will be held in the pavilion №1 throughout the days of the exhibition. At the job fair, the staffing specialists representing the operators of the oil and gas industry and suppliers of services will search for experienced professionals of the oil and gas sector who wish to work actively in regional and international oil and gas companies. Staffing specialists will pay particular attention to the graduates of higher education institutions and specialised courses in oil and gas industry. The Job Fair at the Caspian Oil and Gas 2007 exhibition will become a good opportunity for all companies/employers involved in the study of vacancies in the Caspian region to learn the needs of both employers and potential employees and organise private meetings.
The conference will be held traditionally in the framework of the Caspian Oil and Gas exhibition and this year it will be dedicated to the " Azerbaijan's role in the sustainable development of the Caspian oil and gas operations".
The conference will be held in the conference-hall of the HYATT Regency hotel on June 6 and 7.