Construction Products Association (CPA), which has once again been appointed by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) as the official accredited trade organiser, is all set to repeat the success it enjoyed at last year’s Big 5.

Quite similar to last year, the CPA will – in collaboration with its international event management partner Building Exhibitions Management (BEM) – coordinate the UK pavilion at The Big 5 2005.
“Our pavilion will dominate Hall 2 at the exhibition and will include more than 60 companies, 55 of whom will be supported by UKTI – which is an increase on last year’s numbers,” says CPA chief executive, Michael Ankers.
“The product profile of companies exhibiting will cover various industries including environmental, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) and water equipment was well as products from the huge and diverse building materials and construction sector. Exhibitors such as Haddonstone, Corus, Cadar, Advanced Engineering and Insulated Roller Shutter Doors return to the show once again and new additions to the pavilion include Exitile, Ceram and Kee Klamp,” he adds.
Elaborating on the role played by the CPA, he continues: “The CPA acts as a single, influential voice for the manufacturers and suppliers of construction products in the UK. One of the vital roles that the association plays is to assist UK companies with their export activities and through UKTI have an involvement in coordinating UK pavilions at six exhibitions in 2005. The Big 5, however, is by far the largest event in the exhibition calendar for the association, its members and UK industry in general.
“The companies we have on our pavilion illustrate the wide range of products available from the UK and demonstrate how innovative our industry can be,” says Ankers.
Underlining the importance of the Middle East market to UK manufacturers, Simona Novelli, project director of BEM, says: “The response we receive from UK companies wishing to participate at the show underlines how vital the Gulf region is in export terms. This market is extremely competitive these days however, and companies who are participating at the show this year know how important it is to have a presence at this exhibition – it is ‘the’ event for the industry and quite simply you have to be seen at The Big 5 if you want to meet with the major players and you are serious about exporting to this region.”
“The new approach adopted by UKTI to limit support to SMEs has not reduced the impact on the UK’s presence at Big 5 this year. Indeed, UKTI is supporting more small and medium enterprises (SME’s) this year than last year which is excellent news. The support is vital to those companies new to the region and we are delighted that UKTI is able to assist these organisations with their export efforts and I am confident that all the exhibitors within our pavilion will enjoy a tremendous amount of success through business they generate from being at this exhibition.
“These are exciting times in the Gulf region and both the CPA and ourselves are delighted that so many UK companies are positioning themselves to compete and actively win business in this market and it is our aim to support them every step of the way,” says Novelli.
Construction Products Association will be present at Hall 2, stand number 2C61.