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'Bigger, richer': UAE brands to expand globally as Make it in Emirates platform returns in 2025

The value of deals signed during the forum held last May reached Dh20 billion, a significant increase from the Dh6 billion achieved the year before

Published: Wed 30 Oct 2024, 7:05 PM

Updated: Wed 30 Oct 2024, 7:44 PM

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Photo: File

Photo: File

Next year’s Make it in the Emirates Forum will return bigger and richer, with purchasing opportunities expected to exceed Dh165 billion compared to Dh45 billion last year.

Exhibiting more than 5,000 locally produced products, the forum will also include crafts and textiles, aiming to expand national industry across various sectors.

“This time we are shedding light on national crafts and locally manufactured products with the participation of 150 craftsmen,” said Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT).

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The forum’s fourth edition will take place in May 2025 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre with the participation of over 50 companies.

Make it in the Emirates has been creating an industrial hub for local innovators and manufacturers since it kicked off three years ago. It provides local companies a platform to present their services, and serves as a platform to advance business opportunities with fellow participants and visiting investors.

Marwan Al Serkal, founder of the Emirati clothing brand Carter & White, is looking forward to the strategic partnerships he could build during the event. The high-end smart-casual wear that reflects the Emirati 'coastal lifestyle’ can be found in eight stores across the UAE, Gulf and Europe, with plans to open six new stores next year, and 100 stores worldwide by 2030.

The Emirati entrepreneur said he decided to take part in Make it in the Emirates after hearing “wonderful things from previous participants about the massive support provided through the forum".

Marwan Al Serkal

Marwan Al Serkal

From his experience with Carter & White, Al Serkal said UAE products are gaining international recognition for their high standards.

“I have a shop in Italy – the fashion hub of the world with clothes tagged as ‘Made in the UAE’ and 60 percent of my customers are Italian; this indicates that the UAE has become a global destination for quality.”

“Our mission is to showcase our fashion industry to the world,” he added, “I am taking part this year to explore potential opportunities; I am optimistic that it will be a fruitful participation.”

The value of deals signed during the forum held last May reached Dh20 billion, a significant increase from the Dh6 billion achieved the year before.

“We are constantly on the rise, building efforts to increase opportunities and draw further investments; this year, we expect to beat the previous figures,” said Al Suwaidi.

“Make it in the Emirates Forum has proven its economic and industrial influence, generating more than 2,000 potentially produced products for a purchasing value of Dh143 billion, as well as providing financing solutions worth Dh16 billion.”

He added that MOIAT’s Industrialists Programme managed to provide more than 2,500 jobs for Emiratis across the industrial sector.

Stretching over 50,000 sqm at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the upcoming forum expects to attract more than 20,000 visitors. The previous three exhibitions that were held at a smaller scale at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre received 13,000 visitors in total.

“I urge all local factories and businesses to participate in this exhibition to benefit from the vast opportunities offered at Make it in the Emirates," concluded the undersecretary.

Trux, a truck-taxi app that has served over 1,000 customers since its inception last December, will be among the dozens of businesses exhibiting at the upcoming forum.

“We are like Uber; we provide trucks for recovery pick-ups and house-moving services,” said Qamar Shahzad, operations coordinator at Trux.

“To date, we’ve had more than 1,200 orders and we have more than 1,000 drivers providing services across the UAE.”

Trux has been downloaded by 8,000 users, and 80 per cent of their orders are made by return clients. Through their participation in the forum and the expansion they are conducting for their fleet of drivers and vehicles, Shahzad said he expects business to grow by 200 per cent next year.

“We are looking forward to building collaborations with participating companies and investors; we have already made initial deal talks with two fellow exhibitors today.”

A number of companies present during the press briefing announcing the event have already registered for Make it in the Emirates 2025.

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