More than 5,000 visitors attended the HVACR Expo Saudi, and co-located FM Expo Saudi and Saudi Clean Expo last week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marking an 18 per cent increase in attendance when compared to the previous year’s edition.

On the back of growing relevance in the country, next year’s edition of HVACR Expo Saudi along with co-located events will be held for the first time in the capital at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre from January 14 to 16, 2019, revealed the organiser dmg events Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Roni El Haddad, event director of HACR Expo Saudi, said: “A spike in the turnout of visitors to this year’s expos are a clear indicator that growing HVAC-R and facilities management sectors in Saudi demand a dedicated platform where industry professionals can network, do business and discover new technologies.”

“Presenting the event in Riyadh next year will not only help our exhibitors to reach a wider audience in the country, but it will provide a stage where the most innovative solutions and equipment can more directly influence regulation and policy development in their respective industries,” he added.

Current standards and regulations surrounding HVAC-R in Saudi Arabia are recognised as a key driver behind the sector’s continued growth and was a popular pick amongst topics discussed at most of the free-to-attend CPD (continuing professional development) sessions as well as the first-ever EU-Saudi Arabia Energy Efficiency Meeting, which kick started the event, said a statement.

“Industry professionals whether from the products side or engineering side, construction side or facilities management side, must brace themselves to deliver high quality output to sustain and grow in the market,” advised Mohamed R Zackariah, CPD speaker at last week’s event and chief consultant at Suhaimi Design - Protecooling.

“Definitely Saudi Arabia is an exciting place to be in during the next five years for HVAC professionals,” he added.

The market for HVAC-R systems in Saudi Arabia was estimated to reach $3.33 billion in 2017, and is expected to double to $6.36 by 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 13 per cent, according to TechSci Research, boosting the confidence of manufacturers, suppliers and distributors within the sector towards a promising future. – TradeArabia News Service