On October 20 and 21, the good people of UAE and beyond were introduced to more than 50 of the safest and most secure projects from Pakistan. Developers and agents from the length and breadth were handpicked for overseas Pakistanis that were looking to invest. In just two days, more than 14,000 people showed up at the event – the recording breaking numbers are just a start, however.
A number of government and diplomatic dignitaries, business leaders and celebrities made an appearance at the event. The show was inaugurated by the Dubai Land Department Director General H.E. Sultan Butti Bin Mejren, who was also the chief guest. His Royal Highness Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Jamal Al Qasimi of the ruling family of Sharjah graced the Pakistan Property Show on the second day. Pakistani cricketer Muhammad Hafeez also made an appearance.
The Pakistan Property Show is the first event that Zameen.com has hosted on a global platform. The main idea? To give Pakistani property the boost it deserves and introduce expats and investors to projects with big potential directly. But at the back of this show are 10 more massive events held in Pakistan.
In 2014, Zameen.com began its Expo journey with Zameen.com Property Expo in Lahore with a single show. The event grew at a quick pace – the audience doubled from 30,000 to 45,000 with a 50% jump in 2015. In 2016 the event expanded to include Karachi and Islamabad, pulling together over 255,000 people in six shows. In 2017, it returned to the three major cities with three events that collectively pulled together more than 200,000 people.
What made it a success?
In simple terms: the people.
According to Zameen.com’s data, 93% of overseas Pakistanis want to invest back home. This was evident in how the Pakistan Property Show saw visitors from not only the UAE, but other countries as well. That was probably once reason that the people in attendance didn’t just come from the UAE. A father and son duo from Saudi Arab flew down to check out the property on offer. They said they were excited about the show and were looking for commercial property with big potential.
More than 30% of Zameen.com’s traffic comes from overseas Pakistanis. And we found some of them at the event, too. Khalid Querishi grew up in the UAE, but owns property back home in Pakistan. While looking to expand on his current investment portfolio, he decided to visit the event. “I actually visit the Zameen website all the time when I’m looking for options,” he said. “It is the most reliable and trustworthy website for one to find property in Pakistan,” he added.
Mr Haider Ali Khan, the CEO of Bayut.com – the most influential property portal in the UAE – said, “UAE is home to 1.5 million overseas Pakistanis. The economic significance of these numbers is the US $4.33 billion remittances per year that makes up for 22.367% of the yearly remittances from overseas Pakistanis globally. The only missing part of the equation was a platform that provides secure access to the Pakistani realty across Pakistan – Pakistan Property Show Dubai has today completed the equation.”
The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the UAE H.E. Mr Moazzam Ahmad Khan attended the event with his wife and family to extend his support to the exclusive Pakistan Property Show, and appreciated Zameen.com’s effort to bring the Pakistani property market to a global platform. With more than 50 real estate projects from Pakistan on display, the event was a huge success with a record-breaking footfall of more than 14,000. Even the exhibitors were taken aback by the overwhelming number of people who turned up.
“Response was good yesterday but today it’s even better,” EarthLink CEO Mubashar Hayat said at the event. “I think people probably went back home and told others how great the show was, which is why we’re seeing a bigger crowd!” Mubashar added.
Town Developers CEO Shoaib Khanani was enjoying the interaction with the crowd. “As you can see things are going so well here that one person is dealing with six people at the same time!” he said.
Marketing CEO Zeeshan Ahmed Shah noted that even the exhibitors weren’t ready for the massive footfall. “We didn’t have any idea that the response would be this big. We brought many exclusive deals just for this show, and we are glad that we did because people were able to make full use of them. The event has so many serious buyers!” he said.
Forging new paths
Commenting on the success of the show the CEO Zameen.com Mr Zeeshan Ali Khan said, “Pakistan remains our number one priority at Zameen.com. The huge success of Pakistan Property Show is proof that Pakistani realty has a major role to play in attracting overseas remittances and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Fourteen thousands visitors – these are not just empty numbers but comprise genuine overseas Pakistani families and investors that are keen on investing back in Pakistan with Pakistan Property Show as their platform of choice. We aim to come back to Dubai with twice as big a show insha Allah.”
The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) former chairman Muhammad Junaid Ashraf Taloo told us that ABAD itself brought multiple groups and projects to the event. “We have been trying to promote the real estate industry of the country as an organisation, and standing here I feel proud that we are a part of the first ever Pakistan Property Show at Dubai World Trade Centre. We are overwhelmed by the response and I feel that Zameen.com should have come sooner!” he said.
DHA Gujranwala Director Land Col. (R) Qaiser Zahoor praised the event for its pragmatic approach in terms of building new links. “We are thankful to Zameen for letting people from all over Pakistan come to a single platform to reach the overseas audience. I think this is just the beginning and it will continue for many years to come. Visitors have found it useful because there is information on not just projects but also the local market trends,” he said.
Samhan Group Sales Director Sheraz Khan was impressed by the speed at which new connections were made. “We can’t wait for the next show. The response was great and I feel this was a great opportunity for everyone, the agents, developers and investors!”
In attendance were also representatives from a property firm in Pakistan. While they missed the deadline to register for a stall at the show, they still flew in from Karachi to see what it was all about. Seeing the event made them want to register. “We will make sure we have a stand at the event next year!” an enthusiastic representative told us.
What’s next?
Pakistan Property Show may have been a major high point for the local real estate market, but we are far from done yet. The Zameen.com Property Expo 2018 is right around the corner, where we return with our iconic property shows in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Keep checking our website and blogs for updates on the next big property event in town.
Related News
Great Response From Overseas Pakistani