Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Exhibitors and visitors at the World Luxury Expo, which ended here on Tuesday, expressed different opinions about the event. Held under the aegis of Princess Nouf Bint Faisal Bin Turki Al Saud, Chairperson of Nayyara Exhibitions, the three-day exhibition showcased many of the world's leading luxury brands and services, from a broad selection of luxury categories, to a highly discerning and select group of VIP guests from across the Kingdom. The American Express-sponsored expo was organized at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh, from Feb. 10-12. The Saudi Investment Bank was the co-sponsor. The big draw in the event was the food, jewelry and furniture section with most of the visitors flocking to the sections. The exhibitors in these sections were delighted at the response, while exhibitors from other industries said that they didn't see a lot of demand. Some said that more people could have showed up. Kristy Parry, World Luxury Group Marketing Manager, said that the expo had about 1,500 visitors over the seven hours during the first day while 2,100 visitors came on the second day. “We had very positive response from the guests who had a wonderful time and got the chance to see some interesting brands especially the ones coming overseas which had not been seen before,” she said. For an exclusive viewing of the highlights of the show, selected exhibitors showcased their most expensive and rare pieces at the American Express Salon Privé such as Sadavi Homes and Partners Limited Company and Al-Badr Optical. The companies had special items on display. Sadavi Homes had antiques dating back to the first century while Al-Badr Optical had limited edition optical pieces that were priced at more than SR50,000. “Our visitors had the chance to see new items so it wasn't like a trip down to the shopping mall. Hopefully they will have it (the exhibition) next year. What we were looking for is quality more than quantity so we don't want masses of people otherwise we would have held it over the weekend,” Parry added. The exhibition offered different range of services, one of which was from NasJet where people could rent private planes and Al-Zahid Travel Group offering luxurious holiday such as renting an island. Pierre Kassab, Branch Manager of Sea Pros — a Yacht Company based in Jeddah, said that they were expecting more people as more invitations and publicity should have been sent and done. “I had sent invitations to 300 people, only five showed up. Such events need more marketing and publicity for more people to visit. The company offers high end yachts,” he said, adding that they have yachts up to 80 Million euros. The expo had two halls, one had Ali Bin Ali jewelry where there was high demand from women of course. Kassab said that women usually are draw by jewelry and wouldn't be interested in yachts. Nabil Mougharbel, Jewelry Brand Manager for Platinum Sand — part of Ali Bin Ali company, said that they participated in the expo for people to know about the brands they have. The company started expanding into Saudi Arabia since 2008 with presence in Riyadh and then moved to Jeddah with shops like Cartier. “We had few sales here as I heard that people were not expecting jewelry and watches to be in the expo and people would usually go to our shop to buy what they want,” he said. The expo didn't display only services, cars and jewelry, but they also had food. In the food section there was Godiva, which is planning to open a branch in Riyadh in the coming months, and Nespresso. Some food such as caviar could be considered luxurious as the brand “House of Luxury Natural Caviar” took part in the event. Visitors were delighted to see new and exotic items that could rarely be seen anywhere else. “I liked the expo as I've seen antiques and beautiful jewelry from all over the world. My husband liked the cars he took pictures with the Bentely and the Mercedes,” said Hatoon Al-Ahmed.
