The Big 5, the largest construction industry event in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA), lived up to its name for its 2022 edition recording a strong bounce back in global attendance with over 65,000 industry professionals from 150 countries filling the Dubai World Trade Centre for a mega event that featured product innovations, high-level summits, industry talks, start-up competitions and more.
The four-day event, which ran from 5-8 December 2022, generated US$766 million in onsite declared business with its 2,000 exhibitors anticipating a further US$2.7bn over the next 12 months.
“This year’s event was an impressive gathering of the global construction community here in Dubai - the heart of MEASA region, exploring the enormous and fast-growing opportunities for the sector. We are also humbled by the solid government support we received for the event this year, which is a true testament to the importance of the sector for economic growth,” said Josine Heijmans, Vice President - Construction at BIG 5 Global, which is organised by dmg events. “The programme of powerful discussions, keynotes, and impressive innovation underlined the transformation driving the sector and saw an industry coming together to make meaningful connections, find valuable leads, and get access to premium content. The result is the event has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, and with international players keenly eyeing the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia markets, we are rebranding the event into the BIG 5 Global to reflect its expanding footprint.”
The impressive turnout underlined the event’s ability to span the sector’s entire ecosystem addressing key sector challenges, pushing technology adoption, promoting sustainability, and providing start-up support. Big 5 2022 featured eight major product segments and six specialised events that hosted a combined 20 national pavilions, including newcomers Oman, Pakistan, and Singapore.
BIG 5 Global 2023 will run at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 4-7 December 2023 across eight dedicated show sectors, and eight specialised events instead of six as the biennial Window, Door & Facades, and Gulf Glass come back after their last showing in 2021.
“We can only see the event growing in attendance, business delivery, and geographic influence as the industry continues its efforts to address challenges, including its journey to net zero,” added Heijmans “We will continue to work closely with the industry and government to ensure the 2023 event reflects the sector’s pressing needs and concerns and continues its standing as a results-based forum with insightful content that helps guide the transformation process.”
