WITH more than 240 companies and 4,600 sq m of exhibition space at Zabeel Hall, the German pavilion is the biggest of the national groups at The Big 5 show this year too after claiming a similar honour over the past few years.

The participating companies will offer high-quality products and services all related to the construction sector.
“The German pavilion at The Big 5 2009 offers visitors a platform for information on the wide range of products and technologies made by German companies. The joint stand enables visitors to find appropriate products for their specific requirements and to analyse and arrange all kinds of potential co-operation,” says a spokesman for the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).
Germany’s participation comes against a backdrop of the ever-strengthening economic ties with the Gulf countries. In 2008, Germany’s overall exports to the Gulf region increased by 23 per cent to €17.5 billion ($26.28 billion).
About 23 per cent of these products are machinery products, consisting in particular of materials handling technology, construction and building machinery, air-conditioning, ventilation and cooling technology as well as valves for domestic and industrial applications. The machinery exports to the Gulf region rose by 12 per cent to €4.1 billion ($6.14 billion).
“These figures don’t come as a surprise since the UAE has become more and more important as a production site for various industries,” the spokesman says. “Although construction activities have slowed down significantly over the past months in a few regions, energy-efficiency, sustainability and intelligent building solutions remain important issues. Several exhibitors of the German pavilion manufacture products and provide solutions for energy-efficient construction.”
Key organisers of the German pavilion are the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (Auma) as well as the VDMA.
The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology decides on, and supports, official German participation in international trade fairs and exhibition programme. In a constant dialogue with private-sector partners, the division for international/national trade fairs and exhibitions of the ministry backs the export activities of German industry in international markets.
Furthermore, the fairs and exhibitions division deals with German participation in world exhibitions abroad.

Auma represents the interests of the trade fair industry on a national and international level in dealings with parliament, ministries, authorities and other organisations. The association organises the official German trade fair programme abroad in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture. As part of this programme, the federal government provides financial assistance for German participations at foreign events, and also for independent presentations by German industry abroad.
The VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau – German Engineering Federation) is one of the key association service providers in Europe and the largest engineering industry network in Europe. It represents 3,000 mainly small- and medium-size member companies in the engineering industry, making it one of the largest and most important industrial associations in Europe.
The VDMA covers the entire process chain – everything from components and plant manufacturers, system suppliers and system integrators through to service providers.

Link for the German Pavilion-1:

Link for the German Pavilion-2: