Dubai will re-confirm its position as a key global trader in March by hosting The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo Middle East & Africa, the first conference led exhibition of its kind to be staged in the region.

Leading global organisations such as Deutsche Post, DHL, FedEx, Emirates Post and Emirates SkyCargo will address major postal, express and air freight issues. A major topic to be covered includes the liberalisation of the postal sector, a mammoth task for an industry which last year delivered 204 billion pieces of mail globally and employs six million people in India alone.

Organised by Streamline Marketing and Triangle Management and taking place at the Dubai International Convention Centre from 1-2 March, The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo is being held under the patronage of H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, the UAE Minister of Communications and Chairman of Emirates Post, who will speak at the opening of the conference.

The event is supported by Emirates Post as host sponsor, Aramex and DHL as premium sponsors, as well as FedEx, TCS, Qatar Post and Dubai Cargo Village.

Dubai has been chosen to host this two-day event not only because of its convenient crossroads location, but also due to its notable position as the 18th largest cargo hub in the world, just behind London’s Heathrow Airport. The UAE’s monumental growth across all sectors, including mail and express, makes it the perfect place to unveil the latest innovations in this constantly changing industry.

The World Mail, Express & Air Cargo Expo Middle East & Africa follows the success of other, similar postage industry conferences around the world and marks the 22nd in a world series that currently incorporates Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

However, the event will stand out as unique thanks to the inclusion of the air freight industry, which is being recognised due to the transient nature of Dubai as a trade city.

Nick Webb, director, Streamline Marketing commented: “This will be an essential forum for the members of the mail, freight and cargo sectors. Operators, suppliers, trade bodies, regulators and customers will network and keep themselves up to date with the developments in the worldwide market place.”

Among issues to be addressed at the conference is the effect of online communications, especially in the mail sector. Contrary to popular belief, postal services have maintained a steady rate of business since the introduction of email. This trend has been attributed in part to online shopping which, due to the essential delivery services tied to it, has largely compensated for the reduction of traditional mail with email. In addition, many people choose to purchase online goods with cheques which need to be mailed.

Among a line-up of between 30 and 50 anticipated exhibitors will be Emirates SkyCargo, Ethiad Airways, Escher, GATS, Francotyp Postalia, Freightworks and Siemens. All major national postal services, including those from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, South Africa, Jordan and Qatar, along with CEOs of the Tunisian, Kenyan, Sierra Leone and Lebanese postal services, will also be at the conference to share the latest issues, trends and developments pertinent to the industry.

Key speakers who will be addressing an international audience of visitors to the conference will include H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, the UAE Minister of Communications and Abdulla Ibrahim Al Daboos, Director General, Emirates Post, who will give a Middle East perspective on the mail industry.