MUMBAI: The Middle East event Cable, Satellite, Broadcast & Communications Exhibition (Cabsat) kicks off in Dubai today 8 March. It is an annual showcase for the latest developments in the electronic media and communications industry.
The organisers: Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) have announced that the event has grown exceptionally. The show has recorded an increase in net space by 31 per cent necessitating an expansion of the show from two halls last year to three halls in 2005.
The number of participating companies at the event too has gone up substantially to 402 exhibitors this year compared to 215 last year. This represents an increase of 87 per cent. 82 per cent of the exhibiting companies are from overseas. There will be five country pavilions at Cabsat - one each from the UK, Germany (Bavaria), China, Taiwan and Korea. Exhibitors from 50 countries are participating at the event this year.
A highlight this year is the fact that a Middle East Satellite Summit has been organised. It takes place on 9 March 2005. The satellite summit will include themed sessions touching upon different aspects of the industry including Convergence Versus Competition, Home Front: The Battle for the Living Room, The Convergence of Satellite TV & Broadband in the Middle East, The New IT Portfolio: Satellite-Based Video, Voice and Data, Digital Video Broadcasting, IP and the “New” Bottom Line and Re-Evaluating the “Value Chain”.
DWTC DG Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri says, “Cabsat has grown steadily over the years to now fill up three halls catering to the requirements of the cable and satellite accessories and equipment sector, communications sector and broadcast and production sector. Each sector occupies a separate hall effectively providing for highly categorised subdivisions to facilitate trade visitors to make optimum use of their time while networking at the show."
DWTC states that the region’s electronic media industry offers a variety of lucrative opportunities as the industry is revolutionising its services that are offered to consumers in the region. An increasing number of international manufacturers are participating at the event directly rather than via appointed distributors as they realise the potential the show has to reach out to buyers.
The earlier mentioned satellite conference will focus primarily on digital TV and bring the latest information on digital TV developments across the world. Practical case studies of implementation and operational issues of digitisation for television operations in the newsroom, production and archival asset management will be discussed.
Companies participating at the event include E-Vision, Viaccess, HomeCast, Eurostar and Echostar.
