Next exhibition season will start in April. Exhibition and conference organisers Iteca Caspian and CEO together plan to host 24 exhibitions with support from state structures of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Today, exhibitions are becoming more and more important in the development of economy, technology and other areas. Such exhibition events set a clear vision of industry trends, competitors and what needs to be done to achieve success. This is the only type of advertising that not only informs about products and services, but also leads the buyer to producers directly. Another effective advantage of the exhibitions is its time-saving for the future; for three or four days, the exhibitions provide a unique opportunity to meet with leading industry players on one site and to negotiate and establish beneficial business contacts.
In Azerbaijan, trade and industry exhibitions are an effective tool in seeking new customers, sales markets and in expanding the geography of sales, helping establish international cooperation and increase investment flows. The importance of holding specialised exhibitions in the country and the attention from the country’s leadership is evidenced by the fact that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr Ilham Aliyev, has become a constant visitor to a number of leading exhibitions every year.
Four major exhibitions celebrate their anniversaries: the 25th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Food Industry Exhibition – WorldFood Azerbaijan; the 25th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Construction Exhibition – BakuBuild; the 25th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Telecommunications, Innovations and High Technologies Exhibition and Conference – bakutel; and the 10th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Environmental Exhibition – Caspian Ecology. Over the years, these exhibitions have gained leading positions in the Caspian region and have become traditional meeting places for professionals, attracting a large number of visitors. For these anniversary exhibitions, special programmes will be dedicated to provide opportunities to demonstrate projects even more extensively.
In addition, a number of traditional exhibitions such as BakuBuild, bakutel, Securex Caspian and EduExpo have undergone rebranding in 2019 and will be debuting their new image. The new corporate style of logos is designed to reflect the innovativeness and dynamism of projects.
The 18th Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair – AITF 2019, will open its doors for visitors at Baku Expo Centre from the 4th to the 6th of April. As in the past, the exhibition will bring together tour operators, travel companies, sanatoriums, airlines, national and regional tourist organisations and government agencies from over 30 countries, including Belarus, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, Slovenia, Thailand and the Czech Republic, who will be participating with national stands. The exhibition will also feature Azerbaijan’s stand, which will occupy a large area in the first hall and will demonstrate the vast tourism potential of our country to both foreign visitors and local tourism. For the first time this year, a permanent participant of the exhibition, the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, will act as the sponsor in order to more vividly present its opportunities to AITF visitors.
By decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the year 2019 has been declared the Year of Nasimi. This event will be reflected in the framework of the AITF. The organisers have decided to celebrate the event by organising “Journey to the history and work of Nasimi” thereby honouring the poet’s memory and introducing exhibition visitors to another feature in the rich culture of Azerbaijan.
The exhibition season will continue with the WorldFood Azerbaijan exhibition; the 13th Azerbaijan International Agriculture Exhibition – Caspian Agro; the Caspian International Packaging, Tare, Label and Printing Exhibition – Ipack Caspian; the 13th Caucasus International Hospitality Exhibition – Horex Caucasus; the 9th Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition – Caspian Power, and 26th International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition – Caspian Oil & Gas 2019. This year’s Caspian Oil & Gas Conference will be held at the Bilgah Beach Hotel. The theme of the plenary session will be ‘Synergy – the path to global development; Towards energy security and stability.’
Three exhibitions – the 18th Caspian International Transport, Transit and Logistics Exhibition – Trans Caspian; the 9th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition – Road & Traffic; and the 6th Caspian International Boat and Yacht Show – CIBS will round out the spring exhibition season from the 11th to the 13th of June 2019. These exhibitions will be held at Baku Expo Center.
This year a number of projects will take place for the first time. The 1st Distinct Individuals (‘Fərqli Fərdlər’) Congress will launch on April 6; it is designed to attract maximum public attention to the issues of development and upbringing of children with special needs, create a dialogue between parents, professionals and educators, and support the trend set by the state to expand inclusive society. The event will feature four panels covering the following topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), Tourette Syndrome, and Down Syndrome. Renowned international and Azerbaijani specialists, parents of children with mental disabilities, and people who will tell the stories of their lives and successes, despite frustrations, will speak at the congress. The congress will also be attended by representatives of government agencies, teachers, doctors and professionals working with people with disabilities. Official support of the Distinct Individuals (‘Fərqli Fərdlər’) Congress is provided by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance, State Committe of Azerbaijan for Family, Kids and Women and also by companies such as BP and Shokki Mokki.
Another new project in the organisers’ portfolio is the 1st Azerbaijan International Medical Innovations Exhibition and Forum, MEDINEX 2019, which is scheduled for November 6-7 and will be held at the Fairmont Hotel. The event aims to bring together a variety of industry professionals, especially in the area of digital medicine, to further develop the industry.
All exhibitions in Azerbaijan will be accompanied by extensive business programmes and additional events. To this end, B2B meetings will be organised between exhibitors and local manufacturers and distributors. These meetings will provide an additional opportunity for exhibitors to meet and negotiate with potential partners and customers. The successful practice of organising business breakfasts for exhibitors will continue long before the opening of exhibitions to help participants use their resources more effectively at exhibitions. As part of the WorldFood Azerbaijan exhibition, a championship of cooks of Azerbaijan is planned as well as a barbecue championship and the second Congress of cooks of Azerbaijan, which promise presentations and master classes from world-famous gastronomy stars. The organisers advise visitors to actively use the Personal Account on the exhibition websites, offering them a number of advantages: more detailed information about exhibitors and the products they offer, any changes to exhibition programmes, and the calendar of additional special events.
The regular exhibition season enables professionals and specialists from all industries to quickly find out myriad relevant and useful information, find new directions in business, meet reliable partners, as well as interest and attract new companies to the Caspian region.
