Gulf Construction Online - Growing bigger

The Big 5 - Saudi Arabia

Inaugural success ... last year’s edition of The Big 5 Saudi.

Growing bigger

01 February 2012

MORE than 400 exhibitors from more than 35 countries will converge on the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events in Saudi Arabia for The Big 5 Saudi next month (March 10 to 13) to tap into the opportunities offered by the mammoth construction market of the kingdom. This follows the outstanding success of the inaugural event last year.

More than 75 per cent of the exhibitors taking part in this year’s show are international companies. Held under the patronage of Prince Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the event has had to double exhibition space due to the increased interest from global building and construction companies from countries such as Germany, Italy, Turkey, France, Spain, the UK, India, Korea, Belgium, Canada and Greece, says dmg::events, the show’s organiser.

Andy White, event director for The Big 5 Saudi, says: “The success of the inaugural event in 2011 blew us away, we saw more than 9,000 visitors attend and an impressive 306 exhibitors representing 28 countries. Having to double the size of space available in just the second year is a fantastic representation of the need for such an event in the Saudi market and the long-term interest that the industry is investing there.

“Some 60 per cent of exhibitors at The Big 5 Saudi 2011 were from overseas, but this year we have considerably more international companies looking to meet buyers and distributors.”

As many as 9,000 visitors attended the show last year.

He says the increase in international companies looking to meet buyers and distributors highlights the importance of Saudi Arabia as a key market for international companies and the vital role trade shows like The Big 5 play in reaching this audience.

Saudi Arabia’s construction boom, which appears to show no slow down in the coming years, has certainly not been overlooked by those experiencing a more volatile market in other regions across the world. As the largest market in the GCC at present and with more than $112.8 billion worth of projects expected in 2012, Saudi Arabia indeed presents a significant number of opportunities for international companies and The Big 5 Saudi gives the platform to access these, he says.

A report recently commissioned by The Big 5, ‘New technologies utilised in the GCC market’ produced by Ventures Middle East, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s influence as holding 51 per cent of the ongoing projects in the GCC at present. Furthermore, in the report’s list of most influential clients in the GCC construction market, six of the top 10 were from Saudi Arabia, including the top spot being held by Emaar Economic City. The project category showed a similar pattern, with 18 out of the 25 building projects in the GCC being based in the kingdom and the number one project also being awarded to Emaar Economic City for King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).

Highlighting the importance international companies are continuing to place on the Saudi market, Stuart Burns, CEO of the UK exhibitor Dura Composites, says: “Following expansion into the Middle East via Dubai, we see Saudi Arabia as a natural next step to expand our composite technology into a growth region. Following exploratory visits to the region via UKTi events, we aim to use the exhibition to finalise our route to market, most probably partnering with a distributor on an exclusive basis.”

“This year’s event is sure to be something of a barometer for the industry in Saudi Arabia and we look forward to a busy and productive four days,” says White.

The event will take two full halls at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events, as well as outdoor space – an increase from the one hall that was filled at the inaugural event.

The 2012 event will include a brand new dedicated Concrete Zone and a Facilities Management Zone, which will provide platforms for these two important industry sectors to position their products and services in a tailored environment. This ensures visitors have easy access to international products, information and technology all in one place.

Commenting on the importance of the Concrete Zone, White says: “Underpinning the construction boom in Saudi Arabia is a need for the best and most innovative concrete products and technologies from around the globe. The heavy construction sector is set to increase significantly particularly in the Western Province, as a result of projects such as the proposed Jeddah airport extension and the redevelopment of Makkah.”

Global profile ... some 306 exhibitors from 28 countries exhibited last year.

In a brand new focus for 2012, The Big 5 Saudi will gather exhibitors dealing in these products all together in one place, providing a tailor-made opportunity for all visitors active in the concrete sector to find the international products, information and technology they need, he says.

Another sector that is growing in influence in the construction business is facility management. “The dedicated Facilities Management Zone at this year’s event is aimed at providing visitors with an all-encompassing facilities management arena. The Saudi FM Summit was launched at The Big 5 Saudi last year and its success has led to the development of this dedicated FM Zone,” White says.

Also part of The Big 5 Saudi will be a series of workshops including concrete repair and Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) workshops to keep participants abreast of the latest advancements and developments in the fields.

The Concrete Repair Workshop, at 9.30 am on March 11, will ensure participants are up to date with concrete repair and corrosion knowledge in line with the most recent European standards and Concrete Society technical reports. Participants will be shown the most reliable ways of detecting the potential risk of damage through improved monitoring, inspection and analysis and ensuring that the application and use of concrete supports effective maintenance.

Experts including Tim Thomas, business segment manager, BASF Construction Chemicals, and Kevin Davies, senior corrosion engineer, CorroCiv, will be taking participants through concrete repair techniques that can be adopted from the new BS EN1504 European standard.

The workshop will also include details on strengthening structures using FRP (fibre-reinforced) composites, to the standards outlined by the Concrete Society technical reports TR55 and TR57 for the design and installation of composite systems, including an update on the third edition about to be published. In addition, there will be presentations on the specification and installation of corrosion rate monitoring probes. Participants will receive a certificate to highlight their ongoing commitment to addressing the issue.

The Leed Workshop (9.30 am, March 11) aims to identify the key components of the Leed rating system and to discuss the overall Leed certification process. Mario Seneviratne, Leed fellow, USGBC Leed faculty, and director of Green Technologies, will be the workshop facilitator, bringing with him over 34 years of experience in sustainable engineering. The workshop will be divided into eight modules, covering topics including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and design innovation.

Emirates Steel, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (Adbic) and the only integrated steel plant in the UAE, is the Gold sponsor for The Big 5 Saudi, while the Al Arabiya news channel is the official broadcasting partner.
The Big 5 Saudi was launched in 2011 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following the phenomenal success of the flagship exhibition, The Big 5, in Dubai, UAE.

MAKE A DATE

What: The Big 5 Saudi
Where: Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events
When: March 10 to 13
Timings: 4 pm to 10 pm
url: www.thebig5saudi.com