DUBAI, UAE, 25 July 2021: The Big 5 will return to the Dubai World Trade Centre from September 12 to 15 as a live, in-person event, dmg events, the organisers said through a Press release. Among the various tracks are the HVAC R Expo, The Big 5 Solar and FM Expo, dmg added.

Celebrating its 42^nd year, the event has so far confirmed more than 1,000 exhibitors from 45 countries and will include 20 country pavilions, dmg said.

MEED Projects, the Projects Data and Intelligence Partner of the event, in a recent report revealed that the Middle East and Africa region saw USD 163 billion worth of contracts awarded in 2020, despite the impact of COVID-19, dmg said. USD 1.9 billion worth of projects are currently in execution in the region, dmg further quoted MEED as saying.

Josine Heijmans, Vice President, dmg events, said, “With USD 5.06 trillion worth of projects planned and unawarded across all sectors in the Middle East and Africa construction market, it is more important than ever to offer a safe environment for the regional and international community to come together, where they can boost business activities, rebuild partnerships and discuss vital lessons learnt – all in one place.”

According to dmg, The Big 5 will welcome exhibitors across nine specialised events this year, offering visiting professionals the chance to source the latest industry innovations for any stage of the construction cycle. Heavyweights signed up to exhibit include Climatech, Zamil Air Conditioning, Caparol, Soudal, Saudi Ceramics, MAHY Khoory and Emirates Steel, dmg said.

Christian Witsch, CEO, Gulf Extrusion, said: “For many years, we have been representing our products and innovations at The Big 5, which is a very important and great event for our industry. After one year of interruption due to COVID, we are very excited about the possibility to meet and engage with our important customers and the interested community about our products at The Big 5, once again.”

The event will also feature ‘Start Up City’, where the most innovative, disruptive, and agile players in the market will showcase technologies transforming the construction industry, and the new ‘Digital Construction World’, which will provide a central hub on the show floor for construction technology, dmg said. According to dmg, the event will feature high-level summits, including the highly anticipated Global Construction Leaders’ Summit, the Future of Facades Summit and the FutureTech Construction Summit, all designed to shed light on crucial developments in the construction sector, covering all aspects of the industry from facades to building technology, whilst exploring long-term opportunities on the horizon.

The Big 5 will also host a series comprising 70 CPD-certified Industry Talks, encompassing all disciplines in the construction industry, such as Architecture & Design, Project Management, Technology and Sustainability, to support learning, inspiration and collaboration within the construction community, dmg said.

Priscilla Joseph, Sustainability Project Engineer, KEO International Consultants, said: “The Big 5 offers the opportunity to learn, debate, and source products from industry experts. With global exhibitions back in Dubai, and all safety protocols being followed, I am excited to be part of the features and events at the event, and for the global construction community to reconnect once again.”

Another feature of the event is ‘The Big 5 Women in Construction Awards’, which dmg said will highlight the positive socio-economic impact a gender-balanced workforce has on transforming the construction industry. Yet another feature, dmg said, is ‘The Big 5 Impact Awards’ which has been newly created to recognise sustainable development, and technological and digital achievements in the construction industry.

Cynthia Corby, Judge, The Big 5 Women in Construction Awards, and Partner, Regional Audit & Assurance COO, Transformation Leader, Regional Consulting Board member and Middle East Construction Leader, Deloitte, said: “Awards not only acknowledge success by giving public recognition, which brings visibility, but they acknowledge role models for others to look up to.”