INSIDE CABSAT MENA AND SATELLITE MENA 2010
Media Production Magazine speaks to David Roberts, Industry Group Manager of Dubai World Trade Centre about this year’s CABSAT show. What is the theme of the new edition of CABSAT MENA and Satellite MENA? CABSAT MENA and Satellite MENA are the industry bell-wether events for developing and growing business opportunities in the broadcasting, digital media and satellite industries. Our two conferences will focus on the latest hot topics driving the industry: Higher Value through Digital Broadcasting and Development Dynamics in the Broadband Satellite & Hybrid Wireless Applications Market, reflecting the continuing evolution of these two sectors in the region. This year there will also be an increased focus on media production, an area which has seen very strong growth in recent years in the Middle East. In this regard we will be launching the ‘Creative Media Zone’ in collaboration with Media Production Magazine, where companies can view content being generated, manipulated and broadcast in a live, interactive context.
What are you expecting from this year’s CABSAT show? CABSAT MENA and Satellite MENA will provide the platform to bring industry leaders from across the region, from each end of the spectrum, together to share new ideas and look at ways to explore the need for new technologies and upgrades throughout the industry. Some of the key focus areas and highlights of this edition will include HDTV and the benefits it brings to the region, the shift towards locally generated content as well as the considerable increase in satellite coverage and the opportunities this presents.
The CABSAT MENA 2010 Broadcasting Conference and the GVF MENASAT Summit 2010 will also be an important part of this years shows; providing invaluable knowledge exchange and networking opportunities.
After 15 years of CABSAT, what are the highlights that left an impact on you and the exhibition? CABSAT MENA has developed into the most important exhibition for the broadcasting, digital media and satellite industries throughout the region. Whereas initially major OEMs would conduct business via local agents, CABSAT and Satellite MENA are now the first shows on their global calendar of events. The first editions of CABSAT covered every aspect across the satellite and digital media spectrum but as the industry in the Middle East has matured and grown so has the exhibition. Last year the growth in the satellite industry reached critical mass and the increased demand for products, services and specialist solutions proved that it was the right time to launch a dedicated show for the satellite communications industry; Satellite MENA. This was justified further with a recent report by Northern Sky Research which stated that the satellite capacity leasing market has been growing at an annual rate of 4.2 percent globally with annual revenues for this segment to exceed US$ 650 million by 2018.
CABSAT initially brought together UAE companies and provided a link between the regional and international markets but the show is now a truly global event. Senior executives from global companies such as Blusens, EuroStar, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Sony, Venutech and VSAT are now regular exhibitors at the show and use the CABSAT MENA platform to launch new products and design developments in the Middle East. We also welcome many important decision makers from international TV networks including Al Jazeera BBC, CNBC Arabiya, CNN and MBC. Other highlights within the show over the last 15 years include the shift from analogue to digital to HDTV, the evolution of satellite technology and coverage and the birth of original content creation in the region.
Where do you see CABSAT 15 years from now? The importance of CABSAT MENA is now very clear to international and regional companies looking to establish lasting business ties with the Middle East. With the launch of Satellite MENA last year, a dedicated exhibition for the satellite industry, I believe there will be huge opportunities for growth in each of these areas as well as to be able to offer specialist, knowledge exchange and further opportunities as the technology develops, to provide an even more targeted approach to our exhibitors and buyers. As the show evolves in the coming years, we will see even more focus on interactive