Arabian Construction Week, a top construction event in the region, and Intermat Middle East, the second largest construction sector exhibition worldwide, opened today (March 28) in Abu Dhabi.

Both events will run up to March 30 the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

The opening of the three-day event was led by Ahmad Mohammed Shareef, Undersecretary of the Department of Municipal Affairs, Abu Dhabi.

According to Deloitte Middle East's GCC Powers of Construction 2010 report, the UAE has 36 per cent ($958 billion worth) of total construction projects in the region, and is expected to see its construction industry grow by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6 per cent between 2010 and 2014.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, currently has a 38 per cent share of the total construction projects in the region, and is expected to launch contracts worth $86 billion in 2011.

Currently the Kingdom has $624 billion worth of projects planned or underway. Qatar has a 15 per cent share, and the country has the biggest growth potential as its CAGR from 2010 to 2014 is estimated to reach 12 per cent.

Additionally, Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup, where it has pledged investments of up to $75 billion for infrastructure, public facilities, security services and products, sports facilities, tourism, communications and transportation to manage the event.

The Arabian Construction Week consists of three dedicated trade shows - Green Building Middle East for sustainable construction solutions, Future Build Middle East for innovative construction products and Civil Engineering Middle East highlighting major infrastructure developments.

The event will also feature four significant summits. The Building Smart Summit will demonstrate how the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology leads to efficient and cost effective building designs, while the Infrastructure Summit will focus on key issues regarding the construction of roads, railway, schools and ports.

The Climate Control Summit will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of district cooling systems versus standalone systems, highlighting the design, cost and implementation of mega projects across the GCC.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs will also host two workshop series – Building Codes & Regulations and Environmental Health and Safety Management Systems.

“With the launch of Arabian Construction Week and Intermat Middle East, future industry leaders and professionals have the potential to learn where the sector is heading in the Middle East region through conferences held by distinguished global speakers,” said Christopher Hudson, managing director, Clarion Events Middle East.

“Last year, 93 per cent of visitors to Arabian Construction Week had purchasing power and 64 per cent placed orders directly with exhibitors during the three days with an average value order in excess of $410,000 across all orders. We expect these numbers to increase over the next few days,” he added.

Held alongside Arabian Construction Week is Intermat Middle East, where construction companies and government officials will view the latest machinery at this exhibition for quality builds.

The first edition of Intermat Middle East, with the support of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomes Algeria as the official country partner. A delegation of leading construction companies from Algeria has been invited to attend the event.

There will be two conferences, one of which will present the Algerian five-year $286 billion investment plan on March 29. The other will consist of discussions on the latest technological products, methods and advancements to improve crane productivity and safety on major construction sites on March 30.

Maryvonne Lanoë, exhibition manager, Intermat Middle East, said: “Arabian Construction Week and Intermat Middle East uniquely complement each other. The interest of a green Middle East and the investment brought in by countries, including Algeria’s five-year $286 billion infrastructure spending plan make these events the place to be for companies and professionals looking to do business.”

“Furthermore construction companies and individuals have the opportunity to meet and place orders with world-renowned exhibitors of the latest and state-of-the-art construction machinery. It is therefore the place to be for anyone in the construction industry.”

Arabian Construction Week will cover over 20,000 sq m of exhibition space with over 500 exhibitors, while Intermat Middle East will have 100 international manufacturers and 150 represented brands.

The exhibitions will take place with a 9,000 sq m outdoor display area with interactive demonstrations, as well as a 7,000 sq m indoor display area. – TradeArabia News Service