Project Qatar, the international exhibition for construction technology, building materials, equipment and environmental technology to be held in Doha in April at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre (QIEC), is taking place at a time when Qatar is experiencing unprecedented infrastructure expansion and economic growth.

Scheduled for April 2-6, Project Qatar 2007 is organised by IFP Qatar, a member of the IFP Group, one of the leading exhibitions and conference organisers in the Middle East with a record of over 320 successful international fairs and congresses in the last 26 years in Lebanon and the Gulf.
 IFP Qatar recounted the factors responsible for the country’s economic growth and robust construction activity. These include the rise in oil and gas prices and the country’s LNG strategy to become the number one producer in the world, the stable political and social situation and the government’s efforts to attract domestic, regional and foreign investment.
Its per capita income of almost $54,000 in 2006 is considered to be the highest in the world, the company said.   “Its asset-backed economy is expected to reach $70 billion by 2010 and its GDP now stands at around $38 billion. Real GDP growth for 2006 is estimated to be around 9 per cent. Due to the economic boom, a lot of people are now coming to Qatar and more facilities are required to meet their needs. This is why the real estate and the construction sectors in Qatar are growing at an unprecedented rate. In the midst of an economic boom, which is fueling mega projects worth more than $50 billion, Qatar has become the place that is increasingly turning heads in the construction world,” it added.
Major development projects include the $5.5 billion New Doha International Airport, the $5 billion Lusail real estate project (one of the largest developments in the region), the $2.5 billion man-made Pearl Island, 180 high-rise buildings, a $2 billion 68 km causeway between Qatar and Bahrain, a $3 billion causeway between Qatar and Dubai, a National Library, an Islamic Museum and several major road projects.
A whopping QR31 billion ($8.5 billion) is earmarked for infrastructure development to be executed by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal). A five-year plan by Ashghal covers infrastructure projects, including roads, housing projects, airports, railroads, landscaping, environmental projects, power plants, hospitals, schools, parks and the new Doha Central Bank compound.
Moreover, tourism growth triggers the construction of hotels and other multi-billion-dollar projects. The $15 billion budget earmarked by the Qatari government to develop the touristic sector, as part of its policy to diversify the economy, has created an investment-oriented tourism industry attracting local and foreign companies. Two Qatari property developers, Barwa and Diar, unveiled a $5 billion tourism project in Al-Khor on Qatar’s northeastern coast, adding to a slew of major investments underway in the country. In addition, Diar and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority signed a memorandum of understanding to build a $1.2 billion waterfront city in Doha. And many new multi-million-dollar projects are in the pipeline, including the construction of 39 new hotels likely to open by 2010.
“Given the magnitude of the construction projects being planned and the ambitious timetable the government has committed to, there is an explosive need for a full range of building materials and equipment and new technologies,” IFP Qatar said. “Project Qatar 2007 is organised to meet that need. The 2007 edition of Project Qatar will be the fourth in the series, guaranteed to bring the best of the world’s construction technology and products to the region.”