GCC´s largest construction event saw over 80,000 participants and more than 3,000 exhibitors attend the four-day show in Dubai from November 23-26, 2015. Alot has been said about how oil prices might affect construction markets. But each of the GCC nations has continued to invest heavily in infrastructure, housing, and healthcare. The total value of contract awards in 2015 in the Gulf region may have reached over $194 billion, according to a report titled ´GCC Construction Industry û Trends and Challenges for 2015´. In view of this, the Big 5 International Building & Construction Show kicked-off at the Dubai World Trade Centre, which saw participation up by 8 per cent.
Construction in the GCC will increase in value despite a slight dip in the overall contract awards this year, for Andy White,Vice President, DMG events ME, the company responsible for The Big 5 International Building & Construction Show. The show at the Dubai World Trade Centre is the biggest and most popular in the Middle East and North African (Mena) region and regularly attracts thousands of participants. In 2015, the show had more than 81,500 reported participants, 3,104 exhibiting companies, 113,526 exhibition space, with 67 exhibiting countries.
Key highlights
The Big 5 in Dubai is a main focus for suppliers to the region from across the world. Major infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have and will continue to drive diversification, but what is also seen, is large-scale investment being sustained across Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, according to a Ventures Onsite report.
The global construction equipment market is forecast to reach $241 billion by 2020, and growth in the Middle East is expected to be a major part of this figure. The Big 5, the global meeting place for the construction sector, plays a huge role year-on-year to boost this growth. In all, the event provided a great interacting opportunity and The Big 5 Focus was designed to make it easier to find certified products available locally.