The Middle Eastern region is home to a population of an estimated 250 million people. Here are found the world's largest oil-producing nations, accounting for over 40% of all known oil reserves and having one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world.

Specifically, Middle Eastern countries are eagerly seeking a broad range of new technologies to facilitate resource development, industrial competition, and information handling and marketing.

The effects of globalization and increased exposure to the West have created a consumer force appreciative of high quality products and able to afford them. Business opportunities abound, but politics and events such as the Gulf War have dramatically changed and redefined traditional methods of distribution in the area.

In addition, governments of certain Middle Eastern countries impose strict barriers to foreign trade of some products. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, most foreign businesses must have a national as a sponsor. Lebanon, for example, has higher customs duties on imported products if they can be manufactured locally to the same specifications.

Such government-imposed barriers, in addition to the region's multilingual, religious and cultural sensitivities, make being well-informed paramount to reaping profit.