JEDDAH, 2 April 2006 — The Saudi Building Industries Exhibition, opened by Jeddah Mayor Adel Faqeeh last night, showcases all that the booming construction industry needs.
“I’m impressed by the range of exhibits on show, which is of a very high standard,” the mayor remarked during his tour of the show.
A cross-section of visitors said the expo was timely as the Kingdom was witnessing the second construction boom over the years. “The layout of various country pavilions and companies is very impressive,” remarked Abdul Aziz Al-Ghamdi, a member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
In all 10 countries are having their pavilions, Turkey being the largest among them. Over 200 Saudi and overseas companies are among participants, 60 percent of them taking part for the first time at the show.
The comprehensive international event provides an ideal medium to attract not just engineers, architects, consultants, specifiers and designers but a wider professional audience including hotel managers, school and hospital administrators, company and bank directors as well as manufacturers and businessmen, according to Zahoor Siddique, exhibitions director at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions, which has organized the five-day show at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center.
The exhibition, which features an interactive symposium on subjects related to the construction industry organized by the Saudi Council of Engineers (SEC), is targeting not only the Kingdom’s construction sector but also the neighboring countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The region is investing heavily in new infrastructure with project financing in the region totaling $44.3 billion in 2005.
The symposium will in particular aim for presenting building solutions, technologies and components to maximize comfort for building operators and users and minimize the consumption of fossil energies, especially under hot climatic conditions, the spokesman for the SEC said.
Another attraction of the event is safety, security and fire prevention. The Kingdom has become the world’s fastest growing single market for safety and security, fire equipment and technology, with an annual value of $250 million.
