Cars & Autos | Friday 5 June, 2015 1:11 am |

An exclusive audience of senior industry and commerce decision makers, as well as officials from Saudi, Bahraini and German companies, gathered yesterday morning to celebrate the 2015 German Breakfast and Catalogue Show edition at the Khozama Hotel in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

In its 12th edition now, the yearly event opened the 2015 series in the Bahraini capital, Manama on the 21st of May, the Saudi cities of Dammam on the 24th, Al Jubail on the 25th, and Riyadh this morning. The event will conclude its tour in Jeddah on the 14th of September.

Andreas Hergenroether, delegate of German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen said that the annual German Breakfast and Catalogue Show, which were launched in 2004 and 2006 respectively, offer an excellent opportunity for German companies to get a direct contact with the Saudi and Bahraini markets.

Hergenroether added: "During the past few years, we have succeeded in widening our presence in the local Saudi market, as the number of attending companies and personalities is multiplying tour after tour, highlighting in the same occasion the good reputation of Germany in the Kingdom across the different commercial and technological sectors, while building sustainable contacts and relationships for the long term."

Mr. Michael Müller, Executive Director of Porsche and Volkswagen Saudi Arabia, indicated that as the automotive sponsor of the 2015 event, Volkswagen finds in its support of the German Breakfast and Catalogue Show events, an active contribution in a key event which connects German companies with a wide group of local businesses.

Organised first in 2004 by the Delegation of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen (AHK Saudi Arabia), which is officially registered since 1978 as the German Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO), the German Breakfast represents a major business-connecting platform for Saudi and German business leaders to enhance commercial activities between potential partners from the two sides.


Different means are engaged to encourage such bilateral economic relations between Germany and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen, such as organizing business delegations, conferences, B2B talks, road shows and catalogue shows.

In 2006, the German Breakfast event was boosted by the addition of the Catalogue Show, a successful win-win opportunity for German companies to connect directly with their potential partners in the Saudi market. As a business networking venue, the event brings together German companies looking for a presence in Saudi Arabia, with the matching Saudi businesses looking for news products, innovations and partners.

Being member of the German Chamber Network (AHK), the Delegation of German Industry & Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen (AHK Saudi Arabia), benefits from the whole AHK network of members in 120 locations across 80 countries, with the rich diversity of experience, connections and services in all countries of particular importance to German businesses.

The AHK network is further strengthened by its close connection to the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs), which fully support German companies in their strategies to expand their business relations overseas. In turn, this is part of the wider German Association of Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), which also supports the AHKs.

The reach of the different AHKs into diverse businesses and markets also benefits from the cooperation with the various German trade associations. As such, each AHK plays three main roles in its location.

First, they promote and inform about German business interests in their countries.

Being member organizations involved in bilateral business relations, they also gain additional credibility and authority when dealing with politics, business and administration in bilateral relations (for local legal reasons, AHK Saudi Arabia is not allowed to found a membership system yet).

Third, as they operate under the "DEinternational" brand, AHKs support their foreign business activities with services to companies from Germany as well as in their host countries, such as business partners search, meetings, conferences, markets studies, representations, legal, or medical information, or even visa support.