According to exhibition director Alexander Heuff, the exhibitor list is 70% comprised of companies returning from 2007, with the remainder consisting of new clients, primarily hailing from Europe, North America and China.
New names in the Install area will include NEC, Sanyo, Dutco Tennant, ESE, Eurostar, GALTEC, Smart Vision, Da-Lite, Philips and Wolfvision. Yamaha Audio, Duran Audio, Technopro and Stageline are among the new exhibitors in the PALME and Event 360 areas.
“Event 360 has been part of the show for a couple of years, but it has not had its own identity,” Neil Hickman, group exhibitions director at IIR Exhibitions (pictured here with PALME Asia show manager Thomas Long), told II. “Some of the biggest technology users in the Middle East are corporate clients – they want the best technical equipment possible – so the growth in this side of the event [owes a lot to expansion in that sector].”
The accompanying Event 360 conference, meanwhile, is set to reflect the ongoing challenges that face the events business – not least a shortage of suitable venues – and will include contributions from, among many others, Steve Schmader (president and CEO, International Festival and Events Association), Thomas Ovesen (Mirage Promotions, UAE) and Zeina El Haj (Emirates NBD).
In other PALME-related news, this year’s edition of PALME Asia will see a move to a new venue, Singapore’s Suntec Centre. Scheduled to take place from 8 to 10 July, the 2008 event also marks a change in approach.
“We really want to bring the event back on track,” said Hickman. “Firstly, we’ve consolidated our exhibitors into a more focused space. Secondly, it’s the 20th anniversary this year, so there will be a gala evening and award ceremony for loyal exhibitors. There will also be a much more intensive seminar programme and an Event 360 conference, which is a first for the South East region and should be a very exciting component.”
