More than 100 brands from around the globe are participating in the first edition of Outdoor Design Build & Supply, a dedicated landscaping and exterior design trade show, which opened in Dubai today.

Inaugurated by Salah Amiri, the assistant director general for Public Health and Environmental Services of the Dubai Municipality, the event will run until March 27 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

With GCC governments keen to step up their efforts to create more ‘green’ spaces across the region, coupled with a resurgent GCC construction sector – where the value of new awarded projects is forecast to grow by 33 per cent in 2013 to reach $64.5 billion – the timing is perfect for the landscape and garden sectors to capitalise on a steady flow of increased opportunities, said event organisers Streamline Marketing Group.

It is estimated that about 10 per cent ($6.4 billion) of the value of the new construction contractor awards expected in 2013 will feed into the landscaping and exterior design sector.

Thea Skelton, project director of Outdoor Design Build & Supply, said: “The GCC construction surge we are now witnessing means billions of dollars are being spent on new housing complexes, hotels and resorts, leisure parks, shopping malls and various government infrastructure projects.

“There will subsequently be a secondary boom for the landscaping sector, with numerous developments across the region requiring hundreds of square kilometres of outdoor landscaping.

“Over the next three days, exhibitors will be presented with the ideal opportunity to showcase their latest products and services to a targeted audience of government and urban planning officials, public parks and horticulture directors, landscape architects, garden designers, contractors, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and leisure industry destinations,” Skelton added.

The first edition of Outdoor Design Build & Supply features two-days of seminars taking place today and tomorrow (March 26), where leading industry players will deliver case study examples of best practice in green landscaping and infrastructure, delving into the unique challenges the Middle East faces in sustainable urban development.

Moderated by Geoffrey Sanderson, principal director of GCLA International and Kamran Seyed Azizi, president of the Emirates Society of Landscape, the sessions will cover topics including the growth of local plants and landscaping conditions in the GCC; golf course and sustainable irrigation; play equipment in outdoor environments; and sustainability in hotel landscaping.

Outdoor Design Build & Supply has attracted organisations from all over the globe, including Australia, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, UK, and the US. Many are looking to make their first foray into the Middle East market, such as Australian company Grass By The Metre, and Vitaroofs, an American manufacturer of green roofing systems, that designs and installs custom made roofs incorporating gardens and grasses.

Meanwhile local exhibitors at the dedicated showpiece include Barari Forest Management, the UAE’s only company performing large scale relocation of native trees and fauna across the country; and the Gulf Rubber Factory, the Al Ain based used tyre recycling facility that recycles two million vehicle tyres annually, recycling 24,000 tonnes of the used rubber every year, and converting it into a wide range of outdoor environment applications. – TradeArabia News Service