Hundreds of leading construction experts will converge in Dubai for a series of international conferences that will examine four key sectors of the Middle East construction industry, this November.

The second Gulf Construction Conference Week, which will be held at The Emirates Towers Hotel Dubai from November 20 to 25, will serve as a platform for delegates from far and near to discuss and debate technological developments, best practices and future trends within four sectors: aluminium and glass; insulation; concrete technology and corrosion protection, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) sectors, says general manager of Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions, David Hirst.
The conferences coincide with and are supported by the Big 5 show, and the UAE Contractors Association is the main supporting organisation for the entire Conference Week.
“The inaugural Gulf Construction Conference Week, held last year, achieved all that we hoped for in its first year,” says Hirst. “The unique concept we adopted of presenting a cluster of conferences throughout one week proved to be a highly successful one. There were over 320 attendees at the three conferences and the sessions were acknowledged by all as being informative, relevant and most importantly, necessary to the concerns of today’s construction market. By extending this year’s event to cover four separate sectors, the Conference Week will offer a much more definitive examination of the industry.”
He adds: “The Conference Week is not just for delegates to attend technical seminars though – we also aim to provide them with a platform for stimulating constructive dialogue and initiating business partnerships. This interaction is facilitated by enabling participants from each of the individual conferences to mix with each other during the various breakout sessions and this, in turn, makes the Gulf Construction Conference Week the premier networking event for the region’s construction industry. Exhibition stands and technical demonstrations will also be a feature of this year’s event.”

Aluminium & glass
Supporting and driving the Aluminium and Glass Conference will be the gold sponsor – Aluminium Products Company (Alupco) of Saudi Arabia and the two silver sponsors – Jotun Powder Coatings, UAE and Installux Gulf from Bahrain. Co-sponsoring the conference will be Stremler and Besam, which are both Assa Abloy Group companies.
Khaled Al Fuhaid, general manager of Alupco will make the keynote speech, and Dr. Hischam El Agamy of the IMD Switzerland will join him in the opening presentation. Other organisations represented in the conference will be: Dubai Central Laboratories, the Building Research Establishment of the UK and CSIRO from Australia, as well as representatives from a number of the industry’s leading commercial companies.

Insulation
The principal theme of the Insulation Conference is to promote the mandatory use of insulating materials in buildings as a source of saving energy and natural resources, as well as emphasising the financial savings that this would bring.
Sponsoring the Insulation Conference for the second time in as many years is Arabian Fiberglass Insulation Company (Afico) of Saudi Arabia. The programme will include presentations by Dubai Central Laboratories, Jordan’s Royal Scientific Society, Building Research Center, FIW Muenchen of Germany, the Building Research Establishment, and CSIRO.

Concrete & corrosion
Supported by the UAE Chapter of the American Concrete Institute and the UK Concrete Society, the Concrete Technology and Corrosion Protection Conference will examine how admixtures and construction chemicals together with corrosion protection are implicit in the performance characteristics of concrete applications in slab, below-the-ground structure, floorings and car parks in the Middle East’s harsh environment.
Subjects that will be covered include, concrete durability in local conditions; controlled permeability formwork; inspection, assessment and concrete repair; self-compacting concrete; and composite strengthening systems, amongst others.
Mike Walker, former technical manager of The UK Concrete Society, will deliver the keynote speech titled “Problems of Working With Reinforced Concrete in Hot and Aggressive Environments – Materials and Techniques Currently in Use to Reduce and Avoid These Difficulties”.
Other speakers in the conference will include Dr Abdul-Rahim Sabouni, building design expert, Abu Dhabi Works Department and President of ACI-UAE Chapter; John Clarke, principal engineer of The UK Concrete Society; and Dr. Moncef L Nehdi of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, Canada.

HVAC
Sponsored by VTS Clima, the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Conference will unveil new cooling technologies, including energy-efficient and hygienic systems and ways in which to combat the harsh climatic conditions of the GCC, while preserving indoor air quality and protecting the environment.
Crucial topics that will be covered in the HVAC conference will include air flow and distribution, the latest developments in district cooling, green building design, ozone-friendly refrigerants and the increasing use of BACnet technology as a building management and control system.
There are also still a few limited speaking and sponsorship opportunities available in all four conferences and interested parties can get more information on these by contacting the organisers or visiting the conference website www.hilalconferences.com/gccw
There is also a facility on the site for online registration.
The Gulf Construction Conference Week is organised by Hilal Conference and Exhibitions (HCE), the events division of the Bahrain-based Al Hilal Group, a leading trade publisher for the Middle East, with a portfolio of titles that include: Gulf Construction, OGN (Oil & Gas News), Gulf Industry, TTN (Travel and Tourism News), Middle East Expatriate, Gulf Weekly, Gulf Economic Monitor and Middle East Medical along with www.tradearabia.com – an online news and trade portal. HCE is a specialist organiser of professional high-level strategic events in the Middle East.