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Teresa Heitor, Portfolio Director (Consumer Goods), Messe Frankfurt Middle East
DUBAI / GULF TIME
The region’s largest international beauty, hair, fragrance and wellbeing trade fair — Beautyworld Middle East 2024 — took place at Dubai World Trade Centre
October 28-30 this year. The event also saw debuts such as beautyLIVE with a series of spectacular live hair and beauty demonstrations. Teresa Heitor, Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s portfolio director (Consumer Goods), talks about the success of the recently concluded BWME 2024, projections of the fastest-growing beauty industry, and why the emirate of Dubai is key to this dynamic industry in a free-flowing conversation with The Gulf Time’s Arunima Mishra. Edited excerpts:
How far has BWME’s journey in the UAE come? Which regions/countries are the newest entrants, and how is it benefiting them in terms of tourism and the economy?
Dubai is a key region for the beauty industry. With its current valuations at $31 billion, the projections indicate growth to $60 billion within five years. It’s an international hub. We have got 3 new country pavillions — Morocco, Tunisia and Sourh Africa exhibiting for the first time in BWME 2024. So, in short, we illuminate the business of beauty.
Will you increase the frequency of BWME to make it more than once a year? Are there any such plans? How has the response been from UAE-based companies at BWME? Please share some insights.
Not essentially. There is no plan to increase the frequency of BWME. As an organiser, it makes sense for us to offer opportunities to companies to launch their products in the market. Hence, increasing the frequencies would not necessarily mean a better event. It could dilute the quality of the event as we bring exhibitors from over 150 countries. So, planning something more than once a year will be very difficult. But we do have a similar event in the region, Beauty World Saudi Arabia, which takes place in April in Riyadh.
We work very closely with the Government of Dubai; such events are a huge driver for tourism. Not only are we bringing international brands into the UAE market, but we are also spotlighting the UAE’s local brands. It works both ways, and it also gives the local brands international exposure.
Your vision for BWME… your take on beauty tourism in the UAE and beyond. Should more such events be happening?
Though we don’t have any data on this aspect but what we have gathered is that the response has been spectacular and we are expecting 2025 show to be grander.
Almost 2,000 global and regional exhibitors gathered for the largest Beautyworld Middle East exhibition ever. Spread across 17 halls, with over 2,000 exhibitors and 70,000+ visitors attended across the three-day event. This year’s show was spectacular like its previous editions, featuring international and local brands, besides new innovations and products.
This year’s BWME edition featured country pavilions showcasing regional specialities. For instance, Brazilian hair care products, which was part of the new entrants.