The Big 5 event, held in Dubai in late November, attracted more than 49,000 participants, up 6 per cent over the previous year, according to its organisers dmg events.

The co-located shows Middle East Concrete, PMV Live and FM Expo as well as the newly introduced product zones created a more coherent event experience for construction industry exhibitors and visitors, with an easy and efficient navigation through the halls based on their product interest, the company said.

Andy White, event director for The Big 5, said: “We invested significantly in gaining a deeper understanding into the way in which The Big 5 can provide more added value for both exhibitors and visitors, and ensure that all participants get the most out of the four days.

“We will always continue to evolve The Big 5 to attract and sustain more exhibitors within the product sector and to provide a more targeted, relevant experience for our visitors.”

The event has been held in Dubai annually for over 30 years and this year marked a significant evolution of the exhibition’s content, with added value elements including the launch of the Green Build Congress and over 130 ‘free to attend’ product and educational seminars. The show floor featured a mixture of product-specific sections as well as traditional National Pavilions, of which there were 32. Popular features, The Gaia Awards and The Platinum Club returned in 2011. 

For the first time this year, the Gaia Awards, which honours companies who have contributed towards reducing the impact of construction on the environment, was open also to non-exhibitors. This year’s Gold winner.

Enocean Technology by Nuuon Trading LLc  – was assessed by the judges as a world and sector leading technology with innovative and energy efficient features, generating high-level benefits to other building systems.

Green Building Congress
The Big 5 2011 also saw the introduction of the Green Build Congress, with over 40 of the region’s most influential industry leaders, who spoke to an audience of 250 delegates from the building and construction industry. Feedback from attendees highlighted that there is still a strong desire to improve sustainability in the region’s construction industry. Over 90 per cent of those who fed back believed that buildings in the Middle East are not yet sustainable enough, though 92 per cent of those questioned did not think it was too late to conserve the Middle East’s environment. Over 60 per cent believed that it is possible for commercial growth and environmental conservation to work together.   

The Platinum Club also resumed this year, bringing together high-level construction industry players, with spending budgets in excess of $100 million. This year the Club saw a 25 per cent increase on the 2010 participation with the number of buyers increasing from 499 to 628 in 2011, accounting for billions of dollars worth of purchasing power and providing a broader focus group for future research into industry requirements and expectations of The Big 5.

Middle East Concrete, PMV Live and FM Expo are now operating under The Big 5 portfolio of events and will keep running alongside The Big 5 in the future. The next Big 5 show will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 10-13 March 2012.