ATM 2005 raised over $6,000 for tsunami relief. More than 5,000 consumers turned up for single public session of the show and their Dh5 entrance fees have been donated by organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) to the ‘Just A Drop” charity, which is currently involved in providing fresh water for communities hit by last year’s Asian tsunami.
Tom Nutley, a ‘Just A Drop’ trustee and chairman of RTE, said the charity is now investigating various Middle East projects which could benefit from its support and the possibility of a physical presence in the region. He said: “More than 1.4 million children across the world have no access to fresh water and ‘Just A Drop’ was set up to address this. Since the tsunami hit Asia at the end of last year we have been concentrating out efforts in working with relief organisation to get water to the survivors of this disaster. That is why we pledged the income from the ATM consumer day to this cause.”
He added: “As that situation improves we plan to identify Middle East programmes that need our help, and how we could perhaps reinforce our positioning in the region with a presence of one sort or another.”
Chris Chackal, Group Exhibition Director, RTE, added: “The consumer session was again a big success. People appreciated the bigger scale of this year’s event and the fact that their entrance fee was helping people in need.”