Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre is set to host the inaugural International Showbiz Expo (ISBE) from October 21-23, the first entertainment-industry event of its type to be held in the Middle East.
Exhibitors will include film studios, distributors, media outlets, cinema-infrastructure and technology providers, talent and marketing agencies, theatre companies, festivals and more.
Sponsors and partners range from global concerns such as the projector manufacturer Barco and bulk-seating specialist Ferco, to regional players such as the three main Gulf cinema chains Novo, Reel and Vox, regional distributors Empire International and Gulf Film, and film producers Cinescape Box Office.
It’s a fitting time for such an event to come to the UAE, which is the Middle East’s most profitable box office, pulling in US$145million in 2013, with 12.9 million tickets sold across more than 2,000 screens. This compares favourably with the 16.4 million sold in Qatar, Lebanon, Kuwait and Iran combined.
Ajay Bhojwani, the managing director of event co-organiser MCI Middle East, said: “We want ISBE to be the world’s largest and most prestigious Expo for the entertainment world and Abu Dhabi is the ideal place for global entertainment professionals to meet and discuss opportunities for developing the media infrastructure in this region.”
The three-day event is expected to attract more than 2,000 professionals and creatives from the entertainment industry. It will also feature a conference with as yet to be confirmed speakers from Hollywood, Bollywood, Asia and the Middle East, and an event to honour the New York-born producer Edward Pressman (American Psycho, The Crow) with the ISBE's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.
Check the expo website for latest details.
cnewbould@thenational.ae