The World Mail Express & Air Cargo Expo, held last week at the Dubai World Trade Centre was hailed a success by key industry figures. International exhibitors, who attended the Middle East and Africa-focussed event, the 22nd in a world series agreed that the expo re-confirmed Dubai’s position as a key global player.

Organisations from countries including Canada, Germany, USA, the UK, Qatar, Jordan and the UAE gathered in Dubai for the expo, jointly organised by Streamline Marketing and Triangle Management Services.

One international exhibitor, Escher Group Ltd deliberately chose the event to assist its penetration of the Middle East and Africa region. Its software product, WebRiposte™ especially tailored to the specific needs of postal services and already used in 23 countries globally, provides an automated solution for retail, banking, and telecom procedures.

“The quality of customers at this event far exceeded our expectations,” said Elaine Smyth, Escher International Sales Manager. “Following our attendance at the World Mail Express & Air Cargo Expo, we hope to add to our recent success with the Dutch and South African post offices by following up on leads made here and securing business in the region.”

Also exhibiting at the Expo was Emirates SkyCargo, the award-winning air cargo division of the airline whose dedicated terminal, the Emirates SkyCargo Centre, was established at its Dubai hub to ensure rapid, accurate and secure handling.

“Since Emirates was launched 20 years ago we have experienced dramatic growth and air cargo has formed a vital part of our service,” said Ram Menen, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Cargo.

“With its inclusion of the air freight industry reflecting the nature of Dubai as a trade city, the World Mail Express & Air Cargo Expo gave us an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our services to key industry participants in a targeted, specialised environment,” added Menen.

Visitors and VIPs, including CEOs of the Tunisian, Kenyan, Sierra Leone and Lebanese postal services as well as attendees from other major national postal services including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, South Africa, Jordan and Qatar attended the two-day, conference-led expo, considered the premier global forum at a regional level.

Key speakers, including H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, patron of the event and Abdulla Ibrahim Al Daboos, Director General, Emirates Post offered an international audience a Middle East perspective on the mail industry. Topics debated included the liberalisation of the postal sector and the extent to which the mail, express and air cargo industries - traditionally viewed as independent of each other - should be considered as one market.

Emirates Post acted as host sponsor of the expo and has already committed to developing an even bigger event next year. Aramex and DHL were premium sponsors at this year’s expo, while FedEx, TCS, Qatar Post and Dubai Cargo Village were all support sponsors throughout the event.