BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: The eighth edition of the International Wedding Exhibition and Fashion Show in Doha (IWED 2015) has seen an increase in the number of participants with a total of 120 exhibitors when it opens on April 29 at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
The exhibitors which come from Qatar, Italy, India, UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, Kuwait, KSA and United Kingdom include some of the top names and labels in the wedding planning, hospitality, fashion and related industries.
“There is a five percent increase in the number of participants. We have a total of 120 participants this year,” Hadi Al Zain Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Expo, organizers of IWED, told this daily yesterday.
“We wanted to expand the exhibition size to 7,500 sqm but unfortunately the size of the existing hall right now did not allow us to increase the number. We have a long waiting list of participants,” said Ali.
This year’s IWED spans a total exhibition space of 5,000 sqm of the DEC, of which 2,4000 sqm is the net exhibition area.
“Most probably next year, we can accommodate more exhibitors as we are planning to hold it at the new Doha Exhibition Centre which is close to the City Centre,” he added. Around 13,000 visitors are expected to throng the four-day exhibition set to offer top of the line wedding products and services. Among the highlights of the expo are 20 fashion shows featuring new creations of famous designers to be held daily as well as entertainment and performances courtesy of DNA Records.
Qatari celebrity and founder of DNA Records, Dana Al Fardan will inaugurate IWED 2015.
Ali added they are also looking into men’s fashion “because when we talk about wedding, we talk about the bride and the groom. Next year we hope we get very good brands offering products and services for the groom, not just for the bride.”
Organised by Qatar Expo, the event has Royal Events as Pearl sponsor, Isadora as exclusive make up sponsor, Frames as official hair stylist sponsor and Melia Doha as the official hotel partner.
Other sponsors include Elegant Events, YaHala Events and Royal Flowers as event management establishments offering comprehensive wedding planning services, in addition to Ludica Antiqua and Trinity Talent Qatar, a leading talent agency providing wedding and event staffing as well as models for designers and photographic services to exhibitors and organisers.
Other partners include Ohlala official luxury fashion magazine, Glam official fashion magazine, E-Start official social media partner, Al Muftah Group, BCC as official freight forwarder and Seqlia official stand contractor.
“With Qatar emerging as a leading destination for both business and pleasure seekers, the exhibition industry has subsequently flourished as a platform for retailers and market players to remain at the forefront of all new developments and showcase their best products and services to end users and other corporate entities, therefore enriching business networking and exchange while shifting the focus to quality and customer service in this very competitive arena.
In this same breadth, IWED continues to be one of the wedding sector’s key events in the region and a strategic appointment for the luxury market in the Middle East as it goes beyond the traditional wedding show to provide an opportunity for brides-to-be and grooms-to-be to find a complete array of the finest and latest products and services for their most special day, and for service providers, vendors and manufacturers to showcase their products and services,” said Ali. The Peninsula
