OREANDA-NEWS. June 15, 2010. After many years of impressive growth, for a number of exhibition companies last year was a test of strength. The results of ITE Uzbekistan’s spring exhibition season show how much things have changed in the exhibition industry this year.

The spring season began with the country’s main building and interiors exhibition, UzBuild, which presented effective technologies and materials, various products, and advanced equipment and technical solutions for major construction work. The satellite exhibition MebelExpo Uzbekistan was a centre of business communication for manufacturers of furniture and accessories, and suppliers of new equipment and consumables. Together, UzBuild 2010 and MebelExpo Uzbekistan 2010 featured over 150 companies from 18 countries. According to exhibitor feedback, the exhibitions presented all the major sectors of the construction industry, and allowed companies to conclude contracts and agreements for the year ahead.

World Food Uzbekistan and AgroWorld Uzbekistan marked their tenth and fifth anniversaries respectively. These two major exhibitions for the food industry and agricultural sector have maintained their leading positions, and deservedly have a reliable reputation as large-scale projects, known not only in Uzbekistan but further afield also. This year, there were over 100 exhibitors from 27 countries. This is a record number of exhibitors and countries for the exhibitions. World Food Uzbekistan included a professional food tasting contest. The contest is popular with exhibitors and others. This year, it presented over 40 types of food products, drinks and ingredients. The main event in the business programme of AgroWorld Uzbekistan was the “Farmers’ Day” – hundreds of representatives of farms and agribusinesses attended the day.

TIHE is considered the main medical exhibition in Uzbekistan by industry professionals. This year, TIHE celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. In this time, TIHE has played an important role in developing the country’s healthcare sector, and shown solid growth. TIHE has a special place in ITE Uzbekistan’s calendar of events, as it was ITE’s first event in Uzbekistan. TIHE has initiated several new exhibitions: Stomatology Uzbekistan (dentistry), AptekaExpo Central Asia (pharmaceutical industry), and Beauty & AesteticMed. All these show are successfully held within the large-scale project “Healthcare Week in Uzbekistan”. The fifteenth anniversary of “Healthcare Week in Uzbekistan – TIHE” featured 145 companies from 25 countries.

The spring season ended with OGU 2010. This year, the exhibition took place against the backdrop of the 125th anniversary of commercial oil production in Uzbekistan. Over 190 companies from 28 countries took part in OGU 2010. During the exhibition, special attention was given to the prospects for the development of international cooperation in Uzbekistan’s fuel and energy sector. The exhibition included a roundtable organised by the Centre for Political Studies and NHC Uzbekneftegaz on the prospects for the Central Asian oil and gas sector in the context of today's global financial and economic processes. The roundtable participants, who included international experts and politicians, discussed the expansion of international cooperation, as well as the existing potential of the industry. The main discussions continued during the annual oil and gas conference, which focused on investment and innovation in Uzbekistan’s oil and gas sector. Over 500 participants from 28 countries discussed the development of the oil and gas sector, the main areas of cooperation in this field, promising projects, and strategies and tactics for joint action in the future.

Despite the global crisis, ITE Uzbekistan successfully carried out all its planned exhibitions, with 585 exhibitors from 47 countries and about 35,000 visitors. By comparison, last year 501 companies from 40 countries took part in ITE Uzbekistan’s exhibitions, with over 25,000 visitors.

This year’s exhibitions will be remembered for the record participation of new companies representing the products of Uzbekistan. The total number of domestic companies exceeded 40%, which is a record figure for the past fifteen years. These figures again demonstrate the role of exhibitions as indicators of economic development. The rapid growth of Uzbekistan’s economy against the background of adverse events was demonstrated by domestic producers at the stands of ITE Uzbekistan’s exhibitions, which is a result of the effective measures taken by the Government of Uzbekistan to prevent the effects of global crisis.

ITE Uzbekistan is planning eleven international exhibitions for the autumn season.

ITE Uzbekistan, a member of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), is a leading organiser of trade exhibitions and conferences in Uzbekistan. ITE Uzbekistan’s calendar of events includes 20 projects, which have been held for many years and gained international recognition.