The organiser of Big 5 2003 says the construction and contracting expo is set for its largest showing later this year. The expo - slated to run from November 29 to December 3 - is to occupy all eight halls at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, said dmg world media. Big 5 combines seven major trade shows under one roof.

JUNE 4-7: CarraraMarmotec 2003, international fair for marble, machinery and services, in Carrara, Italy. 11-14: Fourth International Exhibition on Aluminium and PVC Profiles, in Sofia, Bulgaria. 15-18: China Stone 2003, international marble, granite, machinery equipment, diamond tools and technology, in Shanghai, China.

Power generation in focus Dubai: Power generation will take centre stage at Middle East Electricity 2004 in Dubai next February, the organiser said. IIR Exhibitions says the event's new vertical power generation arena will plug into strong international interest in the region's energy sector.

The forthcoming SAIE 2003, slated to be held in Italy later this year, will have some new features that mirror trends in the building world. The expo for building technologies is slated to run at the Bologna Exhibition Centre from October 15 to 19. This year's event will have a larger exhibition space devoted to IT systems and service companies.