JEDDAH, 3 April 2007 — A wide range of products and services related to the construction industry is on display at the Jeddah International Exhibition and Convention Center on Madinah Road.
Two hundred international, regional and local exhibitors have put up attractive stands at the annual show, which was opened by Deputy Mayor Khaled Aqeel in the presence of a large number of overseas participants, diplomats, professionals and businessmen on Sunday.
Aqeel, who was visibly impressed by the range of exhibits, interacted with executives at various stands. “Products on display are among the best in the world and the stand decors equally attractive and impressive,” he said.
Turkey is the biggest overseas participant with its 15 companies. Other overseas participants are from China, France, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Iran, and some other countries. Pan-Arab participation is from Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria and the GCC. The event is being organized by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), with the support of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Jeddah mayoralty. The exhibition also has an impressive line-up of products from the interior decoration sector. The Kingdom’s construction industry has developed significantly over the years, and with increasing focus on domestic and commercial projects, the building and interiors sectors have become highly sophisticated and increasingly inseparable, Abdul Karim Munshi, a member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.
Yesterday, on the second day of the five-day show, a number of engineers, specifiers, consultants, designers and contractors as well as managers of companies, hotels, hospitals, schools and banks visited the exhibition. “The show provides us an important business opportunity,” Adel Aqeel, a businessman, remarked. “With its booming economy and five new cities including King Abdullah economic City coming up, the exhibition will serve its useful purpose,” he added.
“Demand for construction material and services is on the upswing, as plans for more than $160 billion large-scale projects are being executed or planned in the Kingdom. The government’s construction plan alone, which includes infrastructure and public sector construction, is valued at around $35 billion,” he added.