To meet the increasing demands in the sector, International Plants Expo Middle East (IPM DUBAI), the region's leading horticultural event, under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, jointly organized by Messe Essen GmbH and planetfair Dubai LLC, will open its 14th edition (IPM DUBAI 2019) to welcome a wide range of the latest market innovations and industry professionals. IPM DUBAI is the only trade fair in the Gulf region to combine the exhibition areas of plants, technology, floristry, garden equipment, logistics, plant care as well as gardening and landscaping, making it the most important industry platform for the green sector in the region. EXPO 2020 is casting its shadows ahead. The main focus of the World Expo is on a sustainable and healthy building culture to attract billions of dollars of investment in natural greenery. Creating sustainable cities for healthier living environments – one of the main agendas under the sustainability theme of Expo 2020 Dubai - is attracting multibillion-dollar investments in urban landscaping and horticulture across the UAE and the Middle East and offers good prospects for a successful show. It has been ramping up its investments in green spaces with plans to develop the largest public park in Dubailand stretching across 1.4 million square meters of land. Across the region, major cities and project developers are investing billions of dollars for the construction of parks and greener residential communities as well as commercial districts. Dubai has allotted about AED 6 billion to further develop 12,000 hectares of land for natural greenery, while Abu Dhabi has invested AED 23 million for landscaping projects in the UAE capital. In addition, the emirate's strategic location and advanced logistics and infrastructure facilities provide for opportunities to become a hub for landscaping and horticulture. IPM DUBAI will feature the official country pavilions of China, Japan and Taiwan, while major companies from Australia, Egypt, Greece, India, Kenya, Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey, UAE and UK will showcase the latest technologies in the sector. Japan Flowers and Plants Export Association will participate for the first time at IPM Dubai. Several Japanese exhibitors will present their high quality cut flowers, pot plants and bonsai trees on a joint stand and give insights of the beauty and quality of Japanese plants. On the second and third show day, visitors have the opportunity to join flower live demonstrations and get inspired by the latest flower arrangement trends from the land of the rising sun. There will also be various programs including the China Global Trade Meeting organized by Beijing Enjoyfair, seminars on international and horticultural engineering and an exclusive match making program to bring exhibitors and visitors together in a targeted way. — SG
