Baku, March 1, AZERTAC

Iteca Caspian has said it is planning to hold 17 events: 16 exhibitions and 1 conference this year. The exhibitions will take place at Baku Expo Centre with support from government bodies, demonstrating the role and place of the exhibitions within the country’s economy.

Applications for exhibiting are currently being accepted for the 2016 season, which will include four anniversary events. And so, the exhibition season begins with the 15th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Travel and Tourism Fair AITF 2016 and the 10th Anniversary Caucasus International Hospitality Fair HOREX Caucasus 2016.

Over the years, Iteca Caspian’s exhibitions have established themselves as key events in the tourism and hospitality industries throughout the Caspian region, where important meetings are held, partnership agreements are made, and new programmes and destinations are announced. In recent years, Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has attended AITF, toured the exhibitions and met exhibitors. Such attention to the industry and to the exhibition itself from the country’s government gives added impetus to the development of business relations in the tourism industry. Since its inception AITF is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The exhibition is also supported by the regular participant Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) and receives endorsement from international bodies such as the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

This year, AITF is expected to featured more than 200 companies from 40 countries and group stands from Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Georgia, the Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Iran, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Montenegro, and the Czech Republic. Tourism companies and hotels from Latvia, the Maldives, Russia, Slovenia, the USA, Ukraine, Switzerland etc. are also expected. Traditionally Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) will demonstrate Azerbaijan’s tourism companies, hotels, and sanatoriums at its stand. Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the country’s regional stands will present Azerbaijan’s rich potential for domestic tourism. In addition to the usual sectors, the Medical and Health Tourism sector continues to develop.

The 10th Anniversary International Caucasus Hospitality Fair - HOREX Caucasus 2016 will take place, showcasing everything for hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. The main international hospitality trade event in the South Caucasus and Caspian region will present professional cooking and trading equipment, furniture for hotels and restaurants, textiles and uniforms, professional hygiene products as well as food and drinks products from leading local and international manufactures and distributors of the HORECA industry.

In May, the baton passes to the 15th Anniversary Caspian International Railway Infrastructure, Rolling Stock, Maritime Industry, Aviation, Transport and Logistics Exhibition TransCaspian 2016 and the 6th Caspian International Road Infrastructure and Public Transport Exhibition Road&Traffic 2016. This year, boat and yacht show CIBS 2016 will take place alongside TransCaspian and Road&Traffic for the first time.

The 6th Caspian International Power and Alternative Energy Exhibition Caspian Power 2016 and the largest specialised exhibition and conference on energy in the region, the 23rd International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference (1-4 June), are the best places for evaluating energy market players.

After a break for the summer, the autumn exhibition season will include international events such as the 22nd Azerbaijan International Healthcare Exhibition BIHE 2016, the 10th Anniversary Azerbaijan International Beauty and Aesthetic Medicine Exhibition Beauty Azerbaijan 2016, the 22nd Azerbaijan International Construction Exhibition BakuBuld 2016, the 9th International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary, Environmental Technology, Swimming Pool and Renewable Energies, the 9th Caspian International Protection, Security and Rescue Exhibition Aqua-Therm Baku, the 22nd Azerbaijan International Telecommunications and Information Technologies Exhibition and Conference Bakutel 2016.

The exhibitions’ status underlines the fact that even during a global financial crisis, major market players still make a point of sponsoring the exhibitions. Sponsors already include companies such as Azeri M-I Drilling, Caspian Drilling Company, Caspian Marine Services, Global Energy, RusNeft, AZFEN J.V., Tekfen Construction, Bos Shelf, Socar Polymer, Nobel Oil Upstream, Schlumberger, SNAM, INPEX, Caspian Geophysical, Qazax Sement Zavodu, NB Group. Iteca Caspian’s 2016 partners include Safe Life, the safety partner; tour operators Premier Tour; the official hotels Sheraton hotel and Qafqaz Point Hotel; and official stand builder AzExpoMontage.

Nowadays, companies understand that exhibitions are an opportunity to discuss issues and find ways to resolve them. Every company needs to promote itself, take part in industry events, advertise new products and find new sales channels. It is exhibitions that open new opportunities and expand business prospects. Many companies are currently reviewing their pricing policies and looking for new contractors. It is therefore very important to be visible on the market and to make new contacts.

Full details of all the exhibitions can be found on the official website www.iteca.az , which has just had a major overhaul. The structure of the website is now clearer and more precise and includes all the necessary materials: exhibition calendar, photographs, videos and articles about the exhibition and the exhibition business. In order to focus the exhibition brands on clients and to increase awareness, a number of exhibitions in ITE’s global portfolio have undergone changes. WorldFood Azerbaijan and Road&Traffic now have new brands and logos. A new logo has also been given to Azerbaijan’s first international trade exhibition and conference Caspian Oil and Gas. Among the autumn exhibitions that have undergone rebranding are CIРS Securika and the region’s largest exhibition BakuBuild.

In view of all this, a packed exhibition season awaits Baku. To mark some of the exhibitions’ noteworthy anniversaries, the organisers have planned a programme for exhibitors and visitors to leave a lasting impression of their time in Baku. A series of services to make the exhibitions more accessible and convenient has also been planned, such as the continuation of the Fast Track online visitor registration service. As usual, the exhibitions will all take place at Baku Expo Center. A range of services will be available for exhibitors and visitors including a free shuttle bus service between the Koroglu metro station and Baku Expo Center. The exhibition centre will have a business and press centre for exhibitors, a café and restaurant.