More than just a business development platform, The Big 5 Construct Egypt will feature a wealth of learning opportunities through over 40 free to attend CPD certified courses for construction professionals, alongside various seminars, Josine Heijmans, The Big 5 Portfolio director—dmg events is the organiser of The Big 5 exhibition. The Daily News Egypt sat down for an interview with Heijmans, the transcript for which is below, lightly edited for clarity:
What is The Big 5 exhibition?
The Big 5 Construct Egypt is part of The Big 5 portfolio of construction events, the largest in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. A free for all event, the first edition of The Big 5 Construct Egypt offers 360-degree solutions for the Egyptian built environment, creating business development opportunities with industry experts, buyers and manufacturers of construction products from all over the world.
The launch edition of the event brings learning opportunities to industry professionals through more than 40 free to attend, certified Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses and seminars on the industry’s hottest topics by some of its most renowned names.
Organised by dmg events, The Big 5 has been a staple of Dubai’s exhibition calendar for almost 40 years running, and has been held in a number of countries over the last few years, including Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kenya, and India, becoming the largest and most influential go-to exhibition for the construction and real estate sectors.
How will it promote the construction sector in Egypt?
Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, The Big 5 Construct Egypt will not only promote the construction sector in Egypt, it will also enrich it on many different levels.
The presence of a number of international construction brands guarantees an increased flow of the FDI into the construction sector. Local companies will get a chance to meet privately with potential future partners from across the world and create long-term business development opportunities. Additionally, both local and international exhibitors will present the latest construction technologies, machinery and equipment providing state-of-the-art solutions to develop and support Egypt’s huge infrastructure development plans.
More than just a business development platform, The Big 5 Construct Egypt will feature a wealth of learning opportunities through over 40 free to attend CPD certified courses for construction professionals, alongside various seminars.
On 18 September, a dedicated Women in Construction seminar series will feature some of Egypt’s top female construction executives, with the objective of empowering women in a sector that is typically perceived as a male dominated one.
What are the new technology products that will be launched during the exhibition?
The Big 5 Construct Egypt will display hundreds of innovative products and new technologies for the Egyptian construction industry. These are clustered in six product sectors: MEP services, building interiors and finishes, building envelope and special construction, construction tools and building materials, construction technology and innovation and plant, machinery, and vehicles.
How many exhibitors—constructors and developers—will participate in the exhibition?
More than 200 exhibitors will participate in The Big 5 Construct Egypt from 24 countries, alongside country pavilions from Germany, Greece, Italy, India, UK, Spain, China, Turkey, France, and others.
The event also enjoys the support of a number of associations and partners, including the Egyptian Federation for Construction and Building Contractors (EFCBC), the African Federation for Construction Contractors Associations (AFCCA), the Egyptian Chamber of Building Material, the Arab Water Council, the German Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce, International Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Kandil Steel (Bronze Sponsor), Orascom Group (CPD Sponsor), Sphinx Glass, Ezzsteel, Al Sherif Group, and Al Bawani Company.
What are the details of the workshops held within the exhibition days?
The Big Construct Egypt will feature over 40 free to attend CPD workshops. CPD ensures that the courses adhere to the highest educational standards and international benchmarks of quality and learning. Participants at The Big 5 Construct Egypt will receive a certificate of attendance at the end of each workshop session, at no cost.
The workshops will cover a number of exciting topics that include future trends and technologies, BIM and project management, new policies and reforms, sustainability and technology, women in construction, urban development and public realm, architecture and design, BIM and project management, contract management among others.
What are the countries that the exhibition is held in? And what is the next stop after Egypt?
The next The Big 5 organised by dmg events, the Dubai based organiser of international face-to-face events, will be The Big 5 Construct East Africa in Kenya on 7–9 November. Also in November from the 26–29, 39th edition of The Big 5 will run in Dubai alongside The Big 5 Solar, The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, HVAC-R Expo, and the Urban Design and Landscaping Expo. The Big 5 Saudi will return to Jeddah on the 10–13 March 2019, followed by the third edition of The Big 5 Construct Morocco (20– 22 June) and the launch of The Big 5 Construct Nigeria on the 4– 6 September.
Does the exhibition promote the export of Egypt’s real estate and construction sector? If yes, please elaborate
The Big 5 Construct Egypt will promote long term growth opportunities and development for the Egyptian construction industry. Some of the world’s most renowned names in construction will take part to the exhibition. Here, local Egyptian companies will have the chance to establish new, profitable export partnerships. Also, The Big 5 Construct Egypt’s B2B matching program will provide participants with a unique platform to connect, build strong relationships and grow together, before, during and after the event.
