It’s a wrap! Middle East Coatings Show welcomes record number of visitors to Cairo

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For three days, Egypt’s coatings industry gathered at the Egyptian International Exhibition Center for the first time since 2019. Exhibitors and visitors came from across the MENA region, as well as countries further afield like India, Brazil, the Netherlands, the UK and China.

Keyur Amin, CEO of India’s Chemfilt who exhibited at the show, said: “We have been surprised to see people from Saudi Arabia, UAE, countries like Ethiopia… they are all coming here for their requirements. I even had visitors from Asia, from Sri Lanka – you don’t expect them to come to Egypt for that.”

Jason Zhang, CEO of Shandong Landu, echoed this sentiment: “There is excellent representation here. This is the first time we have come to Egypt for Middle East Coatings Show and it’s an amazing exhibition. I’ve had many old customers and new customers come to my booth to talk about business. It’s great.”

 

“Seeing is believing, and especially in this market with being a B2B business supplier, face-to-face meetings are important for discussions, dialogues and understanding each other’s requirements – a personal meeting always helps."Abhijit Devdhar, CEO of ABC Chemicals

Being back in the country after a four year break imposed by COVID, it was clear that despite Egypt’s currency troubles, business is booming in the paint and coatings industry. The hall was constantly busy with a buzzing atmosphere, with exhibitors and visitors pleased to be able to hold face-to-face meetings again after such a long time.

Ibrahim Mohamed, Sourcing Executive at Egyptian company El Mohandes, noted: “Face-to-face meetings are highly valuable to us. They allow for deeper engagement, better understanding of client needs, effective problem-solving, and building trust and long-term business partnerships.”

Yash Sheth, CEO of India’s Hwatsi Chemical, agreed: “We have many customers with whom we have sold ample of cargos but haven’t seen their face yet! It’s very exciting to see a customer or supplier in person by inviting them to our stall – It’s true what they say: ‘A personal touch is what that matters the most’.”

Abhijit Devdhar, CEO of ABC Chemicals, said: “Seeing is believing, and especially in this market with being a B2B business supplier, face-to-face meetings are important for discussions, dialogues and understanding each other’s requirements – a personal meeting always helps… Egypt is a very key market for us. 25% of our group revenues come out of Egypt, so Egypt is critical for our business growth.”

As well as the opportunity to hold meetings and network, the Business Presentation Hub also ran for two days, offering visitors the chance to learn about some of the exhibitors’ companies and products. Among the presentations, Samir Ibrahim of ABC Chemicals spoke about the companies Consolidation Concept, which allows its customers to order less than container loads of a product; Vinayak Natu of Sauradip Chemical Industries (pictured) spoke about value engineering through additives for paints; and Dr Samuel Michel of Kuraray Europe spoke about the company’s Exceval technology for adhesives and barrier coatings on paper.

Following on from the second day of the exhibition, the exhibitor party took place at the Dusit Thani Lakeside hotel in Cairo, where drinks, canapes and impromptu karaoke entertained the crowd of around 300 exhibitors that attended.

The next Middle East Coatings Show will take place in Dubai, April 2024. For more information about the Coatings Group events, visit: www.coatings-group.com