The 18th edition of Cabsat, the Middle East's exhibition for digital media, broadcasting and satellite industries, concluded with exhibitors securing solid business leads and reporting greater market interest, according to organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The specialised show was attended by 11,483 professionals and industry visitors from 110 countries, a 13% increase over last year; the vast majority of which were serious buyers.

Over three days of power-packed business development and knowledge exchange, visitors had the perfect opportunity not only to see the latest innovative products and services the industry had to offer, but also learn about the new technologies and trends during the many specialised workshops and seminars hosted during the show.

More than 800 companies from over 55 countries participated in this year's show. Leading companies, including Al Yahsat, Arabsat, BBH, Blusens, Canon, Cisco, Dubai Studio City, Eutelsat, FOR-A, GlobeCast, Grass Valley, Gulfsat, Harris, Hitachi, Horizon Satellite Services, iDirect, Intelsat, Mediacast, Nilesat, Nynex, Rohde & Schwarz, Sky Stream, Sony, Telespazio, Televes, Thomson Broadcast, Turksat and twofour54, showcased the latest technological advances.

New Studio technologies

 With a full 3G Studio uniquely built on their stand utilising the latest broadcast technologies, Sony reported great interest from serious buyers during the show. Awad Mousa, Head of Content Creation Marketing, Sony Professional Solutions MEA, said: "CABSAT this year has been excellent for us. We have built a full 3G studio on our stand and the feedback from the attendees has actually been exceptional. We have showcased our capabilities and a lot of products and solutions. We feel the quality of visitors this year was better than previous years and we are happy with our participation."

CABSAT 2012 was the platform for the regional debut of Canon's latest cinematic EOS camera, the EOS C300. This light-weight and compact camera, which features a super 35mm CMOS sensor, is compatible with more than 60 Canon EF Lenses ranging from 8 - 800mm. Arguably the smallest camera in the world made for filmmaking, the company said the EOS C300 could be an ideal option for story-telling.

 Next year's show will be held from 19 - 21 March 2013 in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.