Oman's bride show targets wedding industry

Muscat: A glitzy four-day long Oman Bride Show opened yesterday at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre under the patronage of Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism.
Organised by East Expo, this is the first edition of the Oman Bride Show that showcases an array of wedding products and services by both local and international exhibitors.
According to an event organiser Hiyam Adel Fatha, the Sultanate did host a few bridal shows in the past, but never on such a big scale.
“Around 100 companies from Oman and abroad are participating in the exhibition this year. Local and international companies are competing with each other to provide the best services to the customers,” she said.
The Oman Bride Show will help raise awareness about the booming wedding industry in Oman.
The Creative Director of Ultimate Planner, which is also the diamond sponsor of the event, said, “I’ve heard of people going abroad for bigger weddings because they thought such services were not available in Oman.
“The fact is that everything that they would wish for is available here. There is no reason to go abroad.
“That’s why I find it so important that the Oman Bride Show is here. And that’s why we chose to be the diamond sponsor, because we think Oman deserves its own large wedding show.”
The event is doing its best to support the SMEs. A separate section in the hall has been allotted exclusively for SMEs, for which they had to pay a lower rate compared to other exhibitors.
“We are helping them financially and providing them marketing support,” said Hiyam Adel Fatha.
The main objective of the Oman Bride Show, according to the organizers, is to provide all the facilities for the bride and groom under one roof. That is why the event tried to target all the essential wedding sectors. Although there were apprehensions at first as the concept and the venue were both new to the market, they seemed pleased by the turnover on the first day.
“I was surprised that people knew about the event and how to reach here. So far, there have been a lot of visitors.”
When asked what plans she has for the forthcoming editions of the Oman Bride Show, she said, “My plan for the future is to have maximum participation from international companies.”