MORE than 500 companies are set to showcase their products and services at this year’s Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition (SBIE ’10), in a bid to capitalise on Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning market, where an estimated $39 billion is expected to be spent on construction this year, according to the organisers.

The 19th comprehensive showcase for the building and interiors industry, organised by Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE) under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and sponsored by Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), is set to take place next month (April 4 to 7), in Jeddah at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events.
The show will feature national pavilions and companies from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malta, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, the UAE and the US, alongside a large number of Saudi participants representing all sectors of the industry, and relevant governmental authorities.
ACE executive manager Waleed Waked says that the exhibition this year will complement the ongoing boom in the construction sector, with the launch of several projects in the kingdom such as schools, hospitals, and private sector developments, as well as the expansion of the tourism sector, providing ample great opportunities not only for engineers, consultants, designers and contractors, but also for professionals in the hotels, hospitals, schools and corporate sector.

“As in previous SBIE exhibitions, this year’s event will also witness several launches of new products and services specifically targeted at meeting the needs of the construction sector,” says Zahoor Siddique, exhibitions director at ACE.
Citing a Proleads Global report, ‘Insights Saudi Arabia: An Investigation into the Current and Future State of the Civil Building Construction Industry’, and an ACE official says Saudi Arabia’s construction market is one of the most robust and active in the world, is handling the economic downturn much better that its neighbours. The report studied 720 projects worth more than $430 billion in the commercial and retail; education and healthcare; leisure and entertainment; and residential sectors.

He indicated that the report reveals that residential projects make up the biggest share of the market in terms of value but that education and healthcare sectors had the most projects. It predicts that a significant number of current projects will be completed in 2011 and indicates that about five million new homes will be required for an increasingly affluent and young population (70 per cent under the age of 30) by 2020.
The ACE official says the government will continue to promote capital development projects in the areas of power, desalination, roads, railways, and economic cities, including industrial manufacturing zones.
“Such growth will undoubtedly place much pressure on the existing service sector, so new sources of professional services from within the kingdom and through inward investment will be essential. At the centre of it all is the SBIE, which continues to be the ultimate platform from which to access the region’s largest single market,” says the official.
SBIE’s profile has been divided into building and interiors, with the former covering building materials and hardware, climate control, construction equipment and tools, electricity and lighting, environment, marble, granite and stone, technology, safety, security and fire prevention, water technology and waste management. In the interiors segment, the profile includes hotels and leisure, office environment, landscape design, schools and hospitals, shopping malls and restaurants, and the home.
“SBIE is considered an ideal marketing platform for these major sectors. The annual event plays an effective role in helping the exhibitors to access the vibrant and lucrative Saudi market and take advantage of the ongoing boom in the construction and interiors sectors,” he says.

Also running parallel to the exhibition will be a high-profile symposium conducted by the Saudi Council of Engineers, featuring expert speakers from the industry. A host of advisors and specialists will conduct technical demonstrations and provide free consultancy to prospective builders and property owners.
Recalling the success of last year’s SBIE, Siddique says the attendance of more than 500 leading exhibitors and 20,000 high-profile visitors reflected Saudi business confidence particularly in the dynamic building sector. So overwhelming was the demand for space at the show that the organisers had to erect two temporary halls to accommodate the exhibitors, he adds.
Participants, including national pavilions and individual companies, from China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE and the US exhibited alongside scores of local companies.
A survey conducted on exhibitors revealed that the primary purpose of their participation was to launch new products, with meeting decision-makers, seeking new sales and increasing brand awareness also featuring highly among the reasons for choosing SBIE as a marketing tool for Saudi Arabia.
About 90 per cent of all exhibitors achieved their primary purpose of securing sales, he adds.
The venue of the show is the purpose-built Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events, which offers services to high international standards. Established, developed and owned by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, this modern exhibition complex is located just minutes from Jeddah’s main business centre, banks, government offices, shopping malls and major hotels.
It has a total area of 40,000 sq m with 10,000 sq m of air-conditioned exhibition space and other state-of-the-art facilities such as cafeterias, covered storage space, fully-equipped communications and business centre, exhibitor and VIP car-parks, a conference hall and a mosque.
The exhibition will open daily from 5 to 10 pm.