More than 200 exhibitors at the Saudi Building Industries Exhibition, which ended at the Jeddah Center for Forums & Events on Thursday night, reported a huge number of business deals running into millions of riyals.“We can’t quantify the exact value of the business transacted at the expo, but the deals signed or those in the pipeline suggest that there has been record business,” Oguz Kuyumcu of Export Promotion Center of Turkey, which organized the Turkish participation, told Arab News.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Justin Liu, export manager of Jiangyin BondTape Technology Corporation of China, while speaking on behalf of the Chinese group.
Malaysia, with a number of its companies, was among one of the major overseas exhibitors.
Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed opened the expo on Monday.
The exhibitors included 100 local companies who are agents or suppliers of building materials and equipment.
Most of the exhibitors said they were more than satisfied with the participation as the visitors were mainly businessmen, professionals or traders.
“The exhibition provided us the right platform to introduce our products and also study the local requirement," Jean Howiller, director of development of France-based Mathis SA, said.
“There have been many inquiries for our building designs and systems, and equipment for sports and cultural centers, and infrastructure for malls and other commercial ventures.”
Jeddah’s Insulation Factory Ltd, producer of thermal insulations and packing solutions for the building industry, was among the many local exhibitors.
Its senior executive Adam Al-Tabei, said while demand for the factory’s products continued to grow “we received export orders for Sudan, Lebanon and other countries at this exhibition.”
Its products include thermal insulations and a wide range of sheets and products for roof and wall insulations.
Visitors at the exhibition, who included engineers, architects, consultants and designers, said they found some of the exhibits new and timely, and hoped they would be useful for the Kingdom’s booming real estate sector.
"After all, Saudi Arabia has a $400 billion development program that includes new cities, airports, schools and hospitals, a rail link and a huge program for building domestic properties for its ever growing population," said Zahoor Siddique, vice president of exhibitions at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions, which organized the annual event.
The wide range of exhibits included all kinds of building materials including hardware, climate control, construction equipment and tools, electricity and lighting, environmental conservation, marble, granite and stone technology, safety, security and fire prevention, water technology and waste management.
A symposium related to the construction industry was also held alongside the 20th edition of the exhibition, with experts deliberating on quality control.
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