MEBA 2010 Exhibitor Quotes
Justin Siberell, Consul General, Consulate General of the USA, Dubai
Shows like MEBA are very important and provide an opportunity for US companies to reach new markets in this part of the world. They are very exciting in terms of growth and opportunities, and it is significant that MEBA is in Dubai as the UAE is the centre of the aviation industry in this region.
Aviation is also the leading export sector for the US and a show of this kind provides opportunities for companies to showcase their products and services in Dubai. Aviation cannot be taken in isolation, it is related to trade in general, and that means opportunities for companies involved in support services, MRO and aviation facilities.
Business aviation provides great opportunities for all companies. Look at the growth in the US and Europe where airports have developed their infrastructure to provide opportunities to travel easily. Business aviation is so well developed there and that does not yet exist in this region but it will be developed and will be a huge opportunity for generating jobs in the US, for example in Wichita in Kansas state, and Savannah in Georgia, and an important industry to preserve.
Daniel Holda, Technical Director, ABS jets, Prague, Czech Republic
ABS Jets feels that MEBA has been a total success. We managed to meet all customers as planned and our discussions have been very promising. Immediately after returning to Europe we received first responses and a number of requests to quote for our maintenance services. It definitely confirms our feelings before MEBA, that the Middle East is a key area for further development, not only our MRO services but for the whole of ABS Jets. We are ready to do our best to provide customers with a service that will have them returning again and again.
John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer - Customers, Airbus, USA
Air shows such as MEBA are a great way for us to showcase our wider, taller cabins and their unequalled freedom of movement, because they allow potential customers to see for themselves how we compare with traditional business jets.
It can literally be a case of see, buy and fly in the Middle East market, which is the world’s most important for top-of-the-line and wide-body corporate jets.
Sean McGeough, President EMEA, Hawker Beechcraft, USA
We are very happy with our experience at MEBA this year. It was an excellent opportunity to meet with owners, prospects and industry colleagues. The Middle East is a significant market for Hawker Beechcraft as we have led all turbine, turboprop and jet deliveries in the region over the last three years. In addition, our Special Missions business in the region has been strong and is gaining momentum. We look forward to further strengthening our relationships in the Middle East and returning to MEBA in 2012.
Adel Mardini, CEO JetEx, Dubai
Yet again MEBA has been a soaring triumph for business aviation in the Middle East, raising the all important question: why do we have to wait two more years for the next one?
JetEx has come to view MEBA as perhaps the most significant arena for nurturing and developing business in the region and the show continues to go from strength to strength. It seems logical to make it a regular event each February, giving customers and industry colleagues this unique platform to meet, share ideas and do business on an annual basis. Furthermore, given Abu Dhabi’s rising status as a Middle East hub, the show should expand to include it as alternating venue, swapping every other year with Dubai.
Dave Edwards, MD Gama Aviation FZC, Sharjah, UAE
MEBA was a good show for us. Floor traffic has been light but in terms of quality, it’s been much higher, compared to other business aviation shows. We seem to have got a lot more good contacts within the region here too, and they will definitely lead to business. Gama started aircraft management operations in the UAE in February, bringing our US and European business models to the region and that’s been a success as we’ve become established in the region with five aircraft under management. So, we’ve had a lot of interest in our operations and we’ve had good quality and important customers. The ramp area was a fantastic selling tool with its spread of aircraft, as here we had full families of aircraft to show clients, unlike other shows where you get just one of each type.
Renaud Cloatre, Director Middle East Sales, Dassault
MEBA has confirmed that business aviation activity in the Middle East is still good. Although we’re in the middle of an economic crisis, there are good signs out of this show that the market is still bubbling.
Steven Jones, General Manager, Al Bateen Executive Airport, Abu Dhabi
MEBA has been very successful, with a huge amount of interest and good, solid trade interest. We’ve had a number of key business leads with operators, maintenance providers and people interested in flying into the airport, and we’ve made agreements with some, such as Letters of Intent. We never had a quiet moment!
Nina Bertilsdotter, Director of Marketing, Avinode, Sweden
MEBA has been good for us. It’s been quiet on the floor, but the visitors we’ve had were exactly our target market, as they were specifically concerned with business aviation, resulting in good, quality leads.
Fredrik Artursson, Sales Director, Wyvern Aviation Safety Intelligence, Sweden
We had quite a number of Middle East companies visiting who were interested in safety auditing for their aircraft. This is the first time we’ve exhibited and we are definitely coming back for MEBA 2012 as visitors were really interested in doing business with us.
Khader Mattar, Regional Vice President EMEA, Bombardier Business Aircraft, Dubai
MEBA was a good quality show and while the visitor numbers seemed lower, they were better quality in terms of orders. It was great to have the Bombardier family on display. The show was very focused.
Mark Paolucci, SVP Sales & Marketing, Cessna Aircraft Company, USA
We’ve seen steady traffic at our pavilion during the show. We are talking to our customers and operators, renewing relationships and that’s important in this part of the world as customers feel comfortable when they see the same faces, and it maintains confidence in the company. We’ve also had a full service team here to help customers with any issues they may be facing.
Walter Heerdt, SVP Marketing & Sales, Lufthansa Technik, Germany
The MEBA concept is definitely on the right track. MEBA 2008 was already very successful but MEBA 2010 will be even more. The high quality of customer talks and the increased number of exhibitors clearly demonstrate the relevance of the show for the VIP market in the Middle East region. Lufthansa Technik is proud to be part of the MEBA community.
Aurelie Branchereau-Giles, Head of PR & Comms, Onair, France
MEBA was well organised, and I especially liked the fact that there was good press coverage, with all the show dailies.
Ramzi Shaban, CEO, Gainjet, Greece
MEBA was really good for us, but there seems to be fewer people attending than the previous show. However, it was worthwhile to bring our aircraft to display at the show as it generated a lot of interest, far more than just with brochures.
Patrick Enz, CEO Rizon Jet, Doha
We are exhibiting at MEBA for the first time and this is the formal launch of the company in the Middle East region. I must say that the show has been very good for us. We had a good location in the Central Hall with a lot of traffic. We’ve had a lot of interest and our sales teams are very happy as they have good leads to follow up with genuine, interested customers. We visited the Dubai Airshow in 2009 in order to network and get our name out to the market. We’ve already signed up for the next Dubai Airshow in 2011 and we’ll sign up for the next MEBA in 2012 when we see the floorplan.
Wajdi A Al-Idrissi, CEO, Saudia Private Aviation, Saudi Arabia
The global financial melt down and the economic crisis did not affect us, in fact having set up as a separate entity only about a year and a half ago our customer base within the last year has increased to 270. These are both individual and corporate clients within the kingdom. The company currently operates 20 aircraft of which 10 are part of a fleet and 10 are private jets looks to double these numbers over the next 10 year. We have had several meetings and are here with a high level delegation and hope to close some deals over the next few weeks. We have already taken delivery of two Falcon 7X aircraft of the four we purchased in our last outing in Dubai at the show.
Haroon Haider, Senior Manager TDH Visions, UK
We have done better than expected with a good intake of sales and the next few months will result in a substantial amount of business from our talks with customers here at the show. The region’s growth in the aviation sector with new airports and upgrades coming online are excellent news for us.
Spokesperson, Harrods Aviation, UK
The value of being here as an exhibitor has been remarkable, I’ve visited the show since its first outing as a foot soldier with a briefcase in hand. The show has the right calibre people including CEOs, chief pilots who are the people we want to communicate as they are the decision makers. The footfall may not be comparable to other international shows but the quality is definitely there. Exhibiting here at MEBA was fantastic as almost sixty per cent of our business comes from this region.
Nathalie Jongma, Business Development Manager, United Aviation Services, Dubai
It’s a well attended show and excellent for us to meet with our existing customers and meet new ones.
Roland Buecheler, Director of Global Events and Corporate Branding, Jet Aviation
The show is definitely quality over quantity and a great platform for us to meet new business partners. It is very industry specific so we don’t get unwanted traffic and can spend more time with our customers.
Patrick Sniffen, VP Marketing, Signature Flight Support, Florida
We are here to show our commitment to our customers and thank them, this year we also have a larger and more senior contingent as compared to the last show and it has definitely reaped the benefits. The interaction with our customers has been very successful and we have had some new business leads. The presence here has underlined the importance of the this market for us and it has been well worth the time and investment,
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