A host of leading property investment and finance companies from Egypt and the Arab world will gather in Cairo from April 16-19, 2008, for the inaugural edition of the ‘Next Move’ exhibition, which is set to become the largest real estate investment exhibition in North Africa. The launch of the exhibition comes at a time when Egypt’s real estate sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, attracting substantial investments from regional and international investors. The Next Move exhibition – which will be held at the Cairo International Conference Center - will showcase a diverse range of residential and commercial projects worth USD 10 billion.

The Next Move exhibition, organised by ACG-ITF, the largest exhibition organiser in Egypt, in association with Lead Marketing Solutions, a leading project marketing company, is poised to be one of the most important regional events for the real estate sector, and the confirmed participation of several leading exhibitors this year is proof of this.

Commenting on the significance, size and timing of the exhibition, Ahmed Ghozzi, Chairman and CEO, ACG-ITF, said, “The encouraging pace of growth of the Egyptian economy, bolstered by the significant developments in the country’s real estate sector, was a driving factor for us to launch a specialised exhibition for the property and real estate sector. We believe that the healthy state of Egypt’s property sector is a fair indicator of the country’s economic progress and market maturity. The growth in Egypt’s real estate sector is nothing short of a phenomenon, and holds tremendous significance to the country’s overall growth. Given this scenario, it was imperative to provide a platform for various property market players to come together and capitalise on market opportunities and in the process contribute to sustained growth of the industry.”

“The Cairo International Conference Center serves as the ideal venue for an event of this scale, as it offers exhibitors ample space to effectively showcase their range of projects to the numerous regional and international visitors expected to attend the exhibition. We have invited a large number of property investment experts, heads of some of the largest investment and finance companies and developers, property marketing consultants, and banks operating in the field,” he added.

Ahmed Ghozzi also pointed out that the Next Move exhibition perfectly complements the plans of the Egyptian Government to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the country, as it presents an opportunity for global investors to invest in a diverse range of properties in Egypt.

“The real estate market in Egypt is certainly buzzing with activity. However, a serious buyer looking to purchase a residential unit in the country will be confused because of the number of promotional activities and audiovisual advertisements for each project. This is when specialised exhibitions like Next Move can play a significant role, as it brings together leading industry players such as Emaar Egypt, DAMAC, Talaat Mustafa Group, Al Fotaim, SODIC, Al Ahli Real Estate Development Company ´Sabour´, Amlak and the Qatari Diar company, thereby providing potential buyers an opportunity to thoroughly study various properties and then make an informed decision,” said Yasir Ghazi, CEO, Leading Marketing Solutions.

The Next Move exhibition represents a real opportunity for companies operating in the real estate sector to showcase their projects in line with modern exhibition styles through a distinctive design and optimum utilization of space, while also competing to provide special offers during the event. The organisers of the exhibition are marketing the event in a big way to ensure the presence of serious buyers, and have also extended invitations to leading international experts from the real estate sector. Moreover, the exhibition website (www.nextmove-eg.com) has also been launched to provide further details about the event.

ACG-ITF, the leading trade events organizer in the MENA region, was established in 1986. The company now enjoys 47 per cent of the international trade fairs market with a portfolio of exhibitions covering several sectors like automotives, textile machinery, plastics machinery and chemicals, building and construction, and others.