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Kuwait experiencing a period of renewed growth: Expert - Cityscape Kuwait will support real estate fundamentals: Marwaha [Kuwait Times]
[October 22, 2014]

Kuwait experiencing a period of renewed growth: Expert - Cityscape Kuwait will support real estate fundamentals: Marwaha [Kuwait Times]


(Kuwait Times Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Deep Marwaha, Group Director for Informa Exhibitions.

KUWAIT: Buoyed by surging oil revenues, strong public finances and a growing young population, Kuwait is now experiencing a period of renewed growth after a strong rebound from the global financial crisis, said Deep Marwaha, Group Director for Informa Exhibitions.



"Culminating in 2035, the National Development Plan of Kuwait will include five successive five-year plans that aim to diversify the economy beyond petroleum. It is expected to revitalize the private sector, promote human capital development, transform the country into a regional transport and business centre and encourage real estate development," Marwaha said in an interview with the Kuwait Times.

The Group Director for Informa Exhibitions, Marwaha oversees a portfolio of business-to-business exhibitions in the Middle East and Asia as well as managing the conference production division. The Cityscape brand of events represents the majority of the portfolio.


"Cityscape Kuwait will look to support these strong economic and real estate fundamentals by providing a platform for real estate developers, architects, finance companies, investors and other stakeholders to meet, network and do business in a vibrant business environment," he said.

InnovationKT: Can you give me an overview of business-to-business exhibitions being organized under your guidance as the Group Director of Informa Exhibitions? A: I oversee the organization of much of the Cityscape brand of events, the world's largest portfolio of real estate investment and development events. The cornerstone of the Cityscape brand has always been our major annual events that run in various emerging markets around the world.

These events act as a yearly meeting place for the global real estate industry encouraging and supporting real estate growth by highlighting innovative architecture, showcasing important developments and providing access to unique investment opportunities. Cityscape has and does run exhibitions and conferences in many places around the world including the Middle East, Asia, US, Africa and Latin America.

KT: What is your role in overseeing the Cityscape brand of events? A: As Group Director, I manage a team of event professionals, each with experience in a variety of fields, so to organize our annual events to the standard that Cityscape exhibitions are renowned for around the world. The Cityscape brand is synonymous with quality, and we deliver our products under a set of clear guiding principles: Encourage transparency, share knowledge, learning, networking and best practice. As Group Director, part of my role is to be a forthright custodian of the Cityscape brand, and keeping the status of the brand at the high levels people have come to expect, is part of my role I take very seriously.

KT: Can you elaborate Informa's critical role as one of the largest business-to-business media groups in the world? A: Informa provides academics, businesses and individuals with unparalleled knowledge, up-to-the minute information and highly specialist skills and services. With over 6,000 employees working in over 100 offices in 25 countries, our global reach and breadth of offer is unique.

In all our businesses, whether it is academic publishing, business intelligence, or global events, we have the technology to deliver dynamic, multi-platform solutions tailored to our customers needs, we have many leading product brands in the various markets we work in and, due to our focus on operational efficiency and excellent management, we are highly respected by shareholders and the financial markets.

NetworkingKT: As a specialist in the area, you would have organized a number of conferences and expos in the Middle East and Kuwait. How do you look at the regional markets in comparison with the rest of the world? A: Informa Middle East is one of the best performing offices globally for our Global Events division. We hold a number of high profile exhibitions and conferences in the region that are market-leading including Cityscape, Arab Health, Middle East Electricity and HR Summit.

There are a multiple of reasons for the success of our events in the region; geographically the region attracts trade visitors and delegates from many global markets, many of the countries in this region represent some of the most dynamic economies in the world, and the business culture in the Middle East leans itself to networking and sharing knowledge.

KT: You may be observing the emerging trends in the regional real estate sector with the prices of properties skyrocketing often causing fears of a possible bust after the boom, at least in some markets. Your opinion.

A: The global financial crisis in 2008/2009 was felt throughout the world including many regional real estate markets. This economic crisis was the largest of our life time and was fueled by some irresponsible activities in mostly developed markets.

Many of the regional real estate markets saw significant downturns and it has taken 3 – 5 years for these markets to recover, but recover they did. The local recovery has illustrated the underplayed robustness of regional markets, and with enhanced regulatory reform which we have seen recently, any fluctuations in property pricing should be manageable and reflective of regular cyclical activity.

KT: Can you elaborate Informa's operations in Kuwait? A: Informa has run some conference and training events in Kuwait in the past, but Cityscape Kuwait is by far the largest event we have run in the country. Buoyed by surging oil revenues, strong public finances, and a growing young population, Kuwait is now experiencing a period of renewed growth after a strong rebound from the global financial crisis.

Culminating in 2035, the National Development Plan includes five successive five-year plans that aim to diversify the economy beyond petroleum, revitalize the private sector, promote human capital development, transform the country into a regional transport and business centre, and encourage real estate development.

Cityscape Kuwait will look to supporting these strong economic and real estate fundamentals by providing a platform for real estate developers, architects, finance companies, investors and other stakeholders to meet, network and do business in a vibrant business environment.

The event features the largest real estate exhibition ever held in the country, a set of real estate conferences, other networking opportunities, and a marketing campaign designed to attract local, regional and international investors.

* Informa PLC is one of the largest business-to-business media groups in the world with an annual turnover in excess of $4 billion while Cityscape is the largest portfolio of real estate events worldwide. With over 8years experience in event organizing, Deep has organized a variety of conferences and exhibitions throughout the region including UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Malaysia, and in June 2009 Deep spearheaded the launch of Informa and Cityscape operations within Saudi Arabia.

By Sajeev K Peter    All rights reserved.

(c) 2014 Kuwait Times Newspaper Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

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