Gulf Construction Online - Green focus this year

The Big 5

Gaia awards ... 50 companies shortlisted for 2012.

Green focus this year

Gulf Construction speaks to The Big 5’s event director ANDY WHITE about the innovative features of the region’s leading construction show this year.

01 October 2012

HOW is the response to the show this year? Has all space available been used up?

This year’s Big 5 will be the biggest to date and nearly all of the space at the Dubai World Trade Centre will be used, including some outside space for machinery and vehicles.

• How does this year’s event compared to the previous year’s show?

The Big 5 2012 will be 10 per cent larger than the 2011 event and will include even more international exhibitors, with larger pavilions from the US, Turkey and Indonesia, to name a few. We will also be introducing more free educational content, which will encourage even more buyers to attend the event.

• What are the focus areas?

Our visitors want to spend more of their time seeing innovative products and our exhibitors want to see more quality buyers. To make it easier for both parties, we have introduced product categorisation and now have large areas dedicated to HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning), Water Technology, Windows and Doors, Steel, Marble Stones and Ceramics, Bathrooms and Kitchens and Sealants and Adhesives. In addition, we have three co-located events – Middle East Concrete, PMV Live and FM Expo. This means buyers can plan their visit and manage their time more effectively, which will result in exhibitors seeing more of the right type of buyer.

White ... responsibility to deliver.

Education continues to be a significant part of The Big 5, and this year the Green Build Conference will host a range of regional and international speakers to discuss the way forward to sustainability and best practice for green buildings. The conference will be free-to-attend but by invite only; those who wish to attend can apply for an invitation via The Big 5 website (www.thebig5.ae). Spaces are reserved exclusively to industry professionals with extensive experience, seniority and specific roles.

There will also be four free seminar theatres hosting presentations throughout the event, featuring the latest technologies and products with a particular focus on elements that contribute to the green built environment.

• What are the new features at the event?

A new addition to 2012 will be the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) workshops, focusing on core concepts and also implementation. Workshop facilitator, Mario Seneviratne, a Leed fellow and director of sustainability at Green Technologies, will take participants through two sessions. The first will cover core concepts and strategies, providing information on sustainable building concepts that are fundamental to all Leed rating systems. Participants will leave with a much fuller understanding of the Leed intents and processes, as well as key metrics and standards.

The second workshop is more in-depth and intended for those who are already familiar with the Leed ratings system. The discussion will touch upon the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the Leed process and strategies that can help communicate Leed to team members. Mr Seneviratne will walk participants through Leed implementation strategies, utilising interactive scenarios to help bring the process to life. All participants will receive a certificate from the US Green Building Council for attending, and full course material packs.

There will also be a new live demonstration theatre located in the main concourse where 32 selected exhibitors will be able to showcase the practical application of their products to visitors. Visitors will be able to view the demonstrations on a large screen and really get to see, in detail, how the products work.

• Can you please tell us about this year’s Gaia awards?

This year’s Gaia Awards is supported by Green Technologies. Open to exhibitors and non-exhibitors, the awards are in their fourth year and have continued to grow in popularity and reputation. This year, we have over 200 entries and the first round of judging is complete. 50 shortlisted companies can be found on our website, with entries broken down across building façade and structure, energy systems, finishing products, HVAC, service industry, and water technology.

• Please provide details on the conferences and seminars?

As well as the Green Build Conference and the new Leed workshops, there will be more than 130 free educational seminars. The seminars will focus on products, innovations, technologies and regulations within the GCC – an excellent opportunity for international companies to showcase their expertise to international regional audience.

• Do you have any key buyers event?

The Platinum Club will return again for 2012, bringing together key industry buyers with budgets of more than $100 million to spend. We now have a dedicated team who recruit members from across the GCC and this year we will have 1,000 members, with a notable increase in attendance from countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.

• What sets the show apart from other events?

We are committed to ensuring our exhibitors get the best possible return on their investment and we do this by continually investing in new features and content that will deliver more quality buyers. We are the only construction event in the Middle East that independently audits visitors because we believe our exhibitors should be able to judge our performance every year and, in turn, we have a responsibility to deliver for our clients. The Big 5 has been around for 30 years but we are not complacent and we take nothing for granted. I think this is what differentiates us from our competitors.