Representatives from more than 120 companies and associations active in fields involving natural stone and machinery for quarries and building sites in Italy, Egypt, China, India, Turkey, Russia and Poland were meeting today in Cairo for the first day of MS
The debuting four-day Veronafiere event aims to promote contacts between 120 exhibitors and a qualified audience of designers, construction companies, distributors and hire companies from the African continent, nearby Gulf countries and Europe.
Egypt enjoys a very favourable geographical location as the main node linking southern Mediterranean and Middle East countries; its marble and granite industry ranks fifth in the world and the Government has launched a series of major infrastructural development projects worth US$7 billion dollars, alongside $12 billion envisaged for doubling the Suez Canal, largely funded by neighbouring Gulf countries.
"Egypt is one of the most important trading partners for Italy in the Mediterranean area: Italy ranks first in Europe and third worldwide," says Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General of Veronafiere and member of the Italian-Egyptian Business Council. “Thanks to MS Marmomacc Samoter Africa and Middle East, Veronafiere becomes the first international exhibition operator present in Cairo with an event dedicated to the building industry. This initiative helps us continue strengthening our involvement on the most promising foreign markets and, all the more, open a window in North Africa for further partnerships in strategic areas for us such as agriculture, agricultural engineering and food."
Right from its debut, MS Marmomacc Samoter Africa and Middle East - organised by Veronafiere with its partners Art Line and Expolink and the collaboration of the local Italian Foreign Trade ICE Office, the Egyptian Export Council and the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce for Building Materials - aims to become the landmark event in Egypt and North Africa for the building industry in terms of both materials and technologies.
The four-day event hosts a calendar of B2B meetings involving exhibitors and international buyers from Algeria, Cameroon, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Turkey, Czech Republic, Germany, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Uganda and Qatar.
Business aspects are also flanked by workshops, cultural and training events - such as the course for architects titled Designing with Natural Stone Egypt 2014 organised by Marmomacc Stone Academy. The programme today includes the seminar titled Italian Technologies for Restoration and Conservation for the Cultural Heritage that aims to promote Italian experience in this field, as well as a conference exploring opportunities in Tanzania for the construction sector. On 11 and 12 December, MS Marmomacc Samoter Africa and Middle East hosts the 2014 annual meeting of the AUA, the Union of African Architects, with over 70 professionals taking part.
