Leading players from the facilities management (FM) industry will be in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to offer investors crucial insights and the latest solutions to protect the value of their built assets at a key seminar next week.

The Facilities Management Leaders' Conference will run from January 15 to 17 at the Jeddah Centre for Forum & Events on the sidelines of The FM Expo Saudi 2017 and Saudi Clean Expo.

Organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, the two FM events, and the co-located HVAC R Expo Saudi are all free to attend.

According to industry experts, Saudi Arabia's property owners could find themselves with stranded assets in their real estate portfolios.

Once, new builds were fuelled by the ready availability of labour and low-cost materials. But as costs have risen and budgets tightened, leaving built assets to survive with little maintenance is no longer an option, they stated.

This growing recognition of the need to care for assets in Saudi Arabia's built environment is positive news for organisations with the skills to deliver what is needed.

"We are very optimistic about the facilities management market in Saudi Arabia," remarked Saleh Al Rajhi, the general manager, Advanced Facilities Management, the headline sponsor of FM Expo Saudi 2017.

"As the country enters a new era with the implementation of the National Transformation Plan, demand for FM is expected to grow in parallel to the projects being announced. We have seen a keen interest from the healthcare, industrial and real estate sectors," said Al Rajhi.

"It's an exciting time to be in Saudi Arabia as it grows and we are truly looking to invest in the education and development of the market by actively contributing to sharing knowledge and best practice," he stated.

Being prepared is the answer and events such as FM Expo Saudi 2017 provide educated property investors an opportunity to gain greater insight into how facilities management and asset management strategies can be used to cut operational costs, boost efficiency and make their buildings more attractive to the market, said the experts.

"I think as things become more expensive, attention turns to how we can improve the life of the asset," said Lionel Prodgers, who will chair the Facilities Management Leaders' Conference on January 15.

"There is an aspiration, particularly on the new builds and iconic developments, where there is an understanding that they need to be properly maintained," he added.-TradeArabia News Service