CityBuild Abu Dhabi, a premier event for construction products in the Middle East region, and The Malaysia Services Exhibition, opened at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on Sunday.

The four-day event was officially inaugurated by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade.

According to organisers, this year's expo is three times larger than the inaugural event in 2010. One of the main attractions on the opening day was the keynote panel address in the CityBuild Construction Summit, which runs alongside the exhibition until Monday.

Running alongside CityBuild Abu Dhabi will be the CityBuild Construction Summit and the CityBuild Abu Dhabi Construction Awards, recognising notable achievements and standards of excellence in the Middle East construction industry, said the event organisers.

Co-located with Cityscape Abu Dhabi and, for the first time the Malaysia Services Exhibition, CityBuild welcomed Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Malaysia Minister of International Trade and Industry, who visited the new Malaysia pavilion at the expo.

Malaysia, the organisers said, was reinforcing its growing trade links with Abu Dhabi and the Gulf region after committing to 1,000sqm space at CityBuild Abu Dhabi.

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), which is hosting the largest international pavilion at the event, is eager to further boost relations with the thriving emirate by building on Malaysia’s established position as a significant supplier of material products and services into the UAE market and across the GCC.

Matrade identified CityBuild Abu Dhabi as a perfect business platform in its moves to bolster the third largest economy in Southeast Asia just as Malaysia, now among the ten most competitive countries in the world, announced an increase in exports.

Fatima Al Jaber, chief operating officer of Al Jaber Group was joined on the ‘Leaders in Construction’ panel by Laurie Voyer, CEO and MD of Al Habtoor Leighton Group, Khaldoun Tabari, CEO of Drake & Skull International and Wael Allan, regional managing director of Hyder Consulting who discussed the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan and the UAE capital government’s role in driving and supporting the construction industry.

The free to attend summit, sponsored by Emirates Steel, has been one of the most popular features of the event. On Monday the CEO Summit, comprising Simon Light from EC Harris, Jim Drysdale from RICS and Vincent Carew from Cyril Sweett International, will discuss how to develop geographical expansion strategies to capitalise on new markets.

Running alongside CityBuild Abu Dhabi will be the CityBuild Construction Summit and the CityBuild Abu Dhabi Construction Awards, recognising notable achievements and standards of excellence in the Middle East construction industry.

Sustainability and innovation in the industry are strong themes running through the award categories this year, the event organisers said.

Outstanding entries were submitted for categories such as the ‘Most Innovative Product’, the ‘Sustainable Green Award’ and the ‘Young Engineer of the Year’, which recognises a young professional who has made outstanding contributions to the construction industry.

The event is being supported by foundation partner, the Department of Municipal Affairs, headline sponsors Bena and Rajhi Steel, gold sponsor Mapei, official supporters Matrade and Malaysia Services Exhibition, Sustainable Knowledge Partner Masdar and sustainable partner Emirates Green Building Council.-TradeArabia News Service