Written by Nayla Barakat
Manama, Dec. 13 (BUS): The Autumn Fair, one of the oldest family shopping destinations, has emerged as one of the major business and trade events on the Bahrain Expo calendar.
Under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, the CEO of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, Dr. Nasser Ali Qaidi, inaugurated the 32nd edition of the Autumn Fair, in the presence of ambassadors, officials and representatives of Informa Markets event organizers.
The nine-day shopping splendor that runs through December 21 features 596 retailers, which is a 20 percent increase in new products offered this year. Items from 18 countries including Kuwait, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Poland and Sudan will be available while eight countries – China, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Oman, Yemen, UAE and Kuwait – will have a national pavilion showcasing their best arts and crafts. Shoppers will be treated to a large variety of merchandise from around the world at the fall fair, including specialty foods, fashion, beauty, home décor, technology, toys, textiles, and more.
“We are happy with the return of the Autumn Fair after a break forced by the Corona pandemic,” Al-Qaedi said.
“The return of this unique exhibition portends the recovery of the exhibition industry in the Kingdom of Bahrain and its positive repercussions on the commercial and tourism movement in general.”
Al-Qaedi praised the efforts made by the organizers of the Autumn Fair “to ensure good organization, attract exhibitors from a large number of countries, and achieve the aspirations of visitors, shoppers, individuals and families who look forward to this exhibition with its competition.” the prices. “
“The coincidence of this year’s Autumn Fair with the national holidays of the Kingdom of Bahrain puts visiting the site at the forefront of the plans of citizens and residents, as well as tourists and visitors who come here to enjoy the national celebration. Today, including the events held by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority.”
“The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority will spare no effort in providing all the necessary support to various local, regional and international companies that are working to organize various events and activities in the Kingdom of Bahrain, given the importance of the exhibition industry in achieving the ambitious goals of the Bahrain Tourism Strategy 2022-2026.”
He made visits to exhibitors and inquired about facilities and trouble-free movement of exhibitors and participating companies.
Now in its 32nd edition, the Autumn Fair is Bahrain’s largest and most popular consumer products fair. The show regularly attracts over 160,000 shoppers from Bahrain and abroad while serving as an important sourcing site for distributors and agents in the Gulf region.
This year’s fair attracted big perfume names from all over the Middle East. Dealers of spices, honey, carpets, furniture, clothing, leather goods, nuts, traditional dresses for women, and jewelry are other highlights of the fair.
This exhibition is considered one of the oldest exhibitions that has been held for many years. “The event that offers free admission this year is in itself a huge promotion that will help increase the number of visitors,” Jawad Al-Hawaj, General Manager at Al-Hawaj and Sons told Bahrain News Agency.
“We see a lot of movement in the market for people from different countries especially across borders, which supports businesses. It is a very old and traditional event and families eagerly await this fair every year.”
He said that for the past two years, people have had to be at home, and due to Covid-19 restrictions, there hasn’t been a lot of business movement. We look forward to all customers returning to the event which appears as a family shopping festival with a lot of trade volume.
Yemen has the largest presence of spices, honey and perfumes in the main stalls.
“We have participated in the fall fair since 2005 and it has become an annual event that we must attend,” said Abdullah Jalabin, general manager who displays his booth with over 100 different kinds of spices, nuts, dry fruits, honey and other food items. He told us.
“We are very happy to be back in Bahrain and have not seen many restrictions imposed on the spread of the pandemic. Every year we get good works from this exhibition and we hope this year as more visitors enter from Bahrain and neighboring countries.”
Organizers say that in keeping with Bahrain’s green level of the traffic light system, the fall fair will be open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Following government guidelines set for the event, online registration for every participant is mandatory this year, regardless of age.
Given the usual success of the fair, the organizers of the exhibition Informa Markets strongly encourage all interested shoppers to pre-register their visit at www.theautumnfair.com to facilitate the on-site entry process. Families who intend to visit the event with their children are required to register the attendance of each family member online.
All pre-registered visitors will receive a digital QR code on their registered email which they can submit on site for quick scanning and entry. The new process will help maintain social distancing by reducing any queuing at the event.
For the first time in 32 years, the digital badge will give free access to all visitors on all nine days of the event. Shoppers are asked to keep their QR code on their mobile phones if they wish to visit the fall fair multiple times.
Food trucks, music, a game zone, farmers market, and a brand new look welcome visitors this year. Moreover, the guest star is also making a comeback this year, the famous “Teddy Bear” mascot the youngest of which will be able to take pictures throughout the event.
With the National Day festivities taking place during the Autumn Fair, a long program of entertainment for Bahrain residents is set to continue during this special time of the year including several traditional Arabic and Bahraini bands and DJs. Full details are available on the event’s social media channels.