The Big 5 Saudi to open access to $163.5 billion of opportunities in the Saudi construction market.

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5 Mar 2012

With an estimated US$163.5 billion worth¹ of construction projects currently in concept stage in Saudi Arabia in the coming year, The Big 5 Saudi 2012 will open on Saturday 10 March to provide unrivalled opportunities for the regional and international industry to access these projects in concept stage.

Gold sponsor, Emirates Steel commented on the increasing significance Saudi is having on business in the construction industry as a whole. Mubarak Al Khaili, vice president for Commercial & Strategy, at Emirates Steel said: “We are looking at the Saudi market with enthusiasm and optimism, especially that the Saudi construction sector is expected to maintain its upward momentum in the short to mid-term. We recently commissioned our heavy sections mill and we aim to market its produce within the Saudi market, which is the largest market within the GCC states.”

The Mayor of Jeddah, His Excellency Dr. Hani Abu Ras, will officially inaugurate the event, taking place from 10-13 of March at the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events. Encompassing two halls, one purpose built for the event, The Big 5 Saudi 2012 will host over 500 companies from 36 countries. The event will include a brand new dedicated Concrete Zone, which will provide a platform for exhibitors to position their products and services in a tailored environment. This ensures visitors have easy access to international products, trends and innovations all in one place.

In addition to the exhibition, which has doubled in size this year to accommodate demand, there will be two workshops taking place alongside. The LEED workshop will be facilitated by Mario Seneviratne, an expert in FIMechE, PEng. LEED AP® (BD+C), LEED fellow, USGBC LEED Faculty™, and director of Green Technologies FZCO. Senevirantne will take delegates through the key components of the LEED ratings system and the most successful way to develop LEED strategies and achieve credit categories. The workshops modules will cover a variety of related topics, including water efficiency, materials and design innovation.

The second workshop to take place at the event will focus on Concrete Repair, ensuring participants are up to date with concrete repair and corrosion knowledge in line with the most recent European Standards and Concrete Society Technical Reports. It will also provide the opportunity to improve their ability to effectively mitigate the risk of concrete damage to improve life-cycle costs and maintain structural integrity.

“The response we have received to this year’s event, in advance of it officially opening its doors, has been exceptional and we look forward to a very exciting event at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events,” Andy White, event director for The Big 5 Saudi, said. “Our knowledge partner, Ventures Middle East, has estimated there are $163.5 billion worth of projects currently in the concept stage in Saudi, meaning there is phenomenal opportunity for exhibitors to do real business during the event and for buyers to source thousands of new and innovative products.”

¹ Research provided by The Big 5 Saudi’s knowledge partner, Ventures Middle East