The outdoor display area at last year’s event ... well attended.
Regional rendezvous
Covering 6,000 sq m of the Dhahran International Exhibition Centre — up from 5,600 sq m last year — Buildex 2010 aims to provide an ideal meeting place for global firms vying for a share in Saudi’s booming construction sector.
01 February 2010
With Saudi Arabia re-emerging as the construction powerhouse of the region, organisers of the 12th Saudi International Building and Construction Exhibition (Buildex 2010) are confident that the event will prove more successful than the show last year, which attracted a total of 22,000 visitors from across the Middle East as well as from India and Pakistan.
To be held from March 6 to 10 in Dammam, Buildex will showcase the latest products and equipment for the building and construction industry over a 6,000 sq m area. It has the approval from The Association of the World’s Leading Tradeshow Organisers and Fairground Owners (UFI), as well as a number of major national and international associations in the exhibition industry, says a spokesman for the organiser.
He adds that the five-day event is seen by national as well as international exhibitors as the ideal platform for launching new products, expanding their client base, meeting potential business partners, as well as boosting their presence in the kingdom’s vibrant building and construction industry.
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Aloumi ... extensive marketing campaign. |
In addition to the strong presence of local companies, the show will also prominently feature national pavilions of Turkey, Kuwait, Italy, Thailand, India, the UAE, as well as many regional and international companies.
Major segments covered by the event include air-conditioning and ventilation; building machinery and materials; construction technology; earth-moving equipment; electrical equipment; engineering services; environmental protection; indoor/outdoor lighting; intelligent buildings; interior finishing; marble, granite and ceramics; security and safety systems; and water and heat insulation products and services.
Buildex provides local, Arab and international companies the opportunity to meet key representatives of the Saudi building and construction market. The event is being staged at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Complex (DIEC), in the Eastern Province of the kingdom, which is very well connected to the domestic markets and to other GCC nations. Additionally, it is an hour’s drive from Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
Says Adel Aloumi, director general of DIEC: “Since 1991, Buildex has continued to be one of the leading construction exhibitions in the Middle East. Over the years, it has fully developed its preeminent status as a professional trade event that delivers results for exhibitors while providing industry professionals with all the requirements for their projects.”
“Due to the competitive capabilities and the increase in the number of quality participants, professionals, consultants and contractors are recognising of the important role played by the exhibition in the construction sector,” he says.
An extensive marketing campaign has been under way to ensure that the event gets a high national, regional and international profile, according to the organiser. “This includes sending personal invitations to senior officials and key target decision-makers in the industry; direct mail, fax and email to the main buyers and key target audience, among other measures,” says the spokesman.
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The Dhahran International Exhibition Centre ... modern purpose-built venue. |
This year’s edition is expected to be far more successful than last year’s, as the topmost construction/industry decision-makers, key officials, dignitaries interested in the field of construction are expected to visit it, he says. In addition, a good diplomatic presence, and a number of economic and trade commissions’ representatives in Saudi Arabia will be attending the exhibition, along with official ministerial delegations, businessmen and representatives of local and foreign companies working in the field of construction, he indicates.
Highlighting the importance of the show against the backdrop of lucrative opportunities for building and construction companies offered by Saudi Arabia’s buoyant market, he says: “Hundreds of projects under way or in the pipeline are creating unprecedented demand for the latest construction industry machinery, technology and tools from the leading global companies.
There are major construction projects under way in the petrochemical, petroleum, power, water and telecommunication sectors, as well as other projects including theme parks and hotels, industrial and urban development schemes. Saudi Arabia needs more than two million housing units. In addition, 70 new hospitals and 570 healthcare centres are expected to be built within the next three years.
“This apart, during the current seven-year development plan, a number of major projects will be developed including 12 new desalination plants, providing an additional 2.5 million cu m of water, and 22 ongoing dam projects as well as 62 large, medium and small dam projects to be initiated.”
The private sector will play a crucial role in the development of these projects, he adds.
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Buildex 2010 ... 6,000 sq m of indoor and outdoor space. |
Last year’s event, held from March 8 to 12, was a major success, with 215 exhibitors representing 356 companies from the UAE, the US, Italy, Turkey, China, the UK, The Netherlands, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, Malaysia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Libya, Pakistan, and India having displayed their goods and services to trade and professional visitors from Saudi Arabia and the neighbouring GCC countries. About 71 per cent of the participants were local and the rest international.
About 84 per cent of the visitors were professionals in the construction sector, such as architects, engineers, contractors, project managers, interiors designers, and those from other disciplines closely in the industry. The rest were professionals, including those from medical-legal, insurance, retail business lines, information, human resources, public services and others, according to the spokesman.
The exhibition covered a total area of 5,600 sq m, with indoor stalls taking up 3,100 sq m and outdoor covering 2,500 sq m. The largest segment of the show was construction material and equipment, which accounted for 34.5 per cent of the space.
Other major segments included interior decoration and furniture (11.25 per cent); sanitary ware and bathroom accessories (10.25 per cent); insulation materials (7.5 per cent); electrical fitting and control boards (6.5 per cent); energy (5.6 per cent); pumps, water treatment and environment (4.75 per cent); plastic (four per cent); heating and air-conditioning (three per cent); hotel equipment and kitchens; aluminium and accessories; tools; and garden landscaping.
The DIEC is one of the most modern purpose-built exhibition venues in the region with room for extra-large exhibits made possible by the use of 60-m-span ceilings for each of the two exhibition halls, giving a column-free exhibition area with a clear height of 8.5 m plus a covered hall of 1,200 sq m.
An open exhibition area of 10,000 sq m is also available located adjacent to the slot car-parking facilities.
