Qatar Development Bank’s (QDB) second edition of its ‘Made at Home’ exhibition, which took place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from October 14 to 20,witnessed participation of different social groups within the society and attracted a total of 11,916 visitors.
The seven-day expo was held under the patronage of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, in collaboration with Qatar Chamber, NAMA Center and the Ministry of Administrative Development Labour & Social Affairs, and sponsored by Ooredoo.
The Made at Home exhibition represented an ideal platform to help home-based businesses achieve greater growth and showcase their capabilities. The exhibition also featured 185 exhibitors from 5 different sectors: Crafts, fashion, food and perfumes. Service providers were also included in this year’s edition, such as printing, design and logistics.
The exhibition also generated sales of QR2.15m, with booth rents ranging from QR3,000 to QR5,000 compared to an average of QR15,000 at other exhibitions in Qatar.
Noor Ali, one of the participants in the exhibition and the owner of (Noor Stationary) project, said: “It is very convenient to gather all the home-based businesses in one exhibition to showcase their products. We have been able to establish close relationships and fruitful cooperation with other entrepreneurs, as well as exchange experiences.
“I would like to thank all those who participated in the success of this edition of the exhibition, which exceeded my expectations in terms of organization, and making available the service providers of printing, marketing and delivery, in addition to providing a huge resting area for visitors, which enabled them to stay longer and have enough time to inquire about other products.
“This resulted in an increase in our sales. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all the media representatives from different esteemed publications who have contributed in raising awareness about our products.”
Aysha Al Kubaisi, another participant in the exhibition and the owner of (Sister’s Cake) project, said: “This is our first participation in Made at Home exhibition, I would like to thank QDB for giving us this opportunity, and to all the organizers for their attention to detail and providing us the services we needed the most such as the printing, marketing and delivery by specialized people.
“The sales rate was also very high, and there was close cooperation with other projects to meet the needs of the visitors. I would also like to mention the remarkable presence of both print and social media professionals who have significantly contributed to the success of the exhibition.”
Sita Rashed, yet another participant and the owner of (Dar Oudi Perfumes) project, said: “Thanks to QDB, the first and second edition of Made at Home exhibition were well organized and was a huge success with good visitor turnout. Besides, the remarkable media presence during the exhibition contributed greatly in creating awareness among the public about our products, and resulted in an increase in our sales. I wish QDB team success in all their future endeavours in supporting home-based businesses.”
