Gulf Construction Online - Spotlight on seminars

The Big 5 Saudi

The 2013 edition ... over 10,000 visitors.

Spotlight on seminars

The Big 5 Saudi, set to open in Jeddah next month, is taking on a greater role in educating visitors both in terms of technology as well as market opportunities with a series of seminars to complement its wide showcase of products and live demonstrations of sophisticated machines.

01 February 2014

A NEW series of education events, a dedicated PMV Zone and a live demonstration area are among the features that will be introduced to this year’s Big 5 Saudi 2014 when it opens next month (March 9 to 12) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

About 500 companies from 34 countries will be participating in the international building and construction show which will feature national pavilions from Germany, Italy, Greece, China and Turkey, among others. The event has seen a 10 per cent growth this year, says the organiser, indicating that the show is at capacity now given the size of the venue. Last year’s event attracted more than 10,000 visitors from 54 countries.

Following the launch of The Big 5 brand in Saudi Arabia three years ago, the event has grown to become a leading showcase for construction products and services in the kingdom, where the construction market is on track to become the fastest growing economic sector by next year.

The new series of educational events will enable visitors to gain greater access and an understanding of the many opportunities while the PMV Zone dedicated to plant, machinery and vehicles will showcase some of the ‘best in class’ products from around the globe. Located both inside and outside Hall One of the Jeddah Centre for Forum & Events, the PMV Zone will offer purchasers of earthmoving equipment, lifting equipment, access equipment, generators and a full range of other heavy machinery and accessories the opportunity to see and assess the latest products from some of the leading construction equipment brands.

The newly introduced live demonstration arena will allow exhibitors to showcase their products in an “as-live” environment, with up to 15 demonstrations expected to take place over the four days of the event.

The show will also incorporate its popular features including the sell-out concrete repair workshop with world-renowned experts, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) Workshops on sustainable building concepts. Also returning is the Concrete Zone, which last year showcased the vast range of products of more than 60 international and Gulf exhibitors.

The Big 5 Saudi 2014 is being held under the patronage of Prince Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs. It is organised by dmg events, an international exhibition and publishing company that produces market-leading exhibitions and conferences for the global energy, construction, digital marketing, hospitality and interior industries.

Seminars

The seminar series, which will be held over two days (March 10 and 11), will help in facilitating opportunities in the country’s nearly $500 billion construction market.

Exhibitors at the event last year.

Developed in co-ordination with the country’s leading construction and building experts, the ‘Sustainable Design and Construction Seminar’ series will look at the rapidly changing technologies, materials and techniques of the global construction industry whilst focusing on the local market’s key drivers and identifying solutions to potential challenges.

The free-to-attend seminars will also include a number of Market Insight sessions, one of which will focus on the market fundamentals driving the push for affordable housing in Saudi Arabia, which already boasts more than $1 billion dedicated to developing eight new housing developments across the country.

New this year will be a series of sessions devoted to sustainable building design, including methods for minimising post-project waste while improving energy efficiency targets. The sessions will cover steps for integrating recycled content in building materials and how best to present green building designs to clients from a business and savings perspective.

“The seminar series is a result of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in the region’s construction industry and the demand for access to insight and information from experts working within the market,” comments Nathan Waugh, event director, The Big 5 Saudi.

“Our visitors expressed a desire for more education content, and as a response to this we aim to bring expertise from local, regional and international sources to highlight the kingdom’s exciting development in the coming years.”

John G Spitz, senior vice-president, Saudi Arabia, of Hill International – a global construction consultancy – will join the opening ‘Leaders in Construction’ panel session.

“Growth across the kingdom has been phenomenal,” says Spitz, highlighting that the outlook for the next five years in the kingdom is bright.

“This is not a recent development. Even during the financial downturn a few years ago, Saudi Arabia maintained steady growth, as the construction sectors in many other countries were struggling. The government has actually increased investments in the past several years for each sector of the ministries,” he adds.

Joining Spitz on the panel will be Andrew Johnson of Mace Group, who is serving as project manager of Jeddah’s Kingdom Tower, which aims to displace Dubai’s Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest tower. Also on the panel will be Jesdev Saggar, managing director for Capital Projects and Infrastructure, Deloitte; and Oliver Plunkett, Buro Happold’s Saudi Arabia country manager.

The Big 5 Saudi will also feature the prestigious Platinum Club, an invite-only group which brings together key contractors from around the globe. The event has also won the backing of Emirates Steel, a fully integrated steel manufacturing plant, which has signed on as a Diamond sponsor.

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