The Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition (sbie) 2015 ended on a successful note in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, attracting over 20,000 visitors, with companies sealing deals worth more than SR70 million ($18.7 million).

The 24th edition of sbie, held last month (May 11 to 14) at Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events, witnessed a record participation of more than 300 exhibitors from Bahrain, China, France, Egypt, India, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Taiwan and Turkey, besides a number of local Saudi companies and leading manufacturers.

The agents and distributors showcased an extensive range of the latest building materials, construction equipment, wood machinery, interior furnishings and other products at the event.

Zahoor Siddique, the vice president for exhibitions at Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions, said: “We are extremely pleased with the attendance throughout the four days and particularly with the impressive contracts and deals sealed during the exhibition.”

This year at sbie representatives of building and decoration companies were positive about the advantages of displaying their products at the event, he noted. In addition to regional and international participation, the exhibition has been the ideal platform for domestic companies.

Forsan Ceramics showcased its products, and the response, according to the company’s sale manager, was “brilliant”.

“The event turned out to be positive for us,” remarked Ahmed Al Dumairi, Forsan’s sales manager.

“The purpose of our participation was to look for local and international partners aside from showcasing our products and services and we really had a great outcome,” noted Al Dumiri.

Frederic Fievet, the president of Sadev, Architectural Glass System, said: “It was our first show in Saudi Arabia. The exhibition saw a good turnout since it opened and the opportunity was ours to showcase our latest projects to every visitor to our stand, as well as the exhibition in general.”

Meanwhile, Ghassan Tabbakha, the managing director of Ultisol for building and construction, said: “We decided to seize the opportunity in order to offer our new projects, especially since it is a meeting point or leading major building companies in Saudi Arabia and the GCC.”

A number of companies from Malaysia also participated in sbie, promoting their services and products covering construction, engineering, architectural, project management, landscaping including playground design and installation, customised solar panel systems, switches, cable boxes, sockets, safety films, switchboard enclosures, aluminium pipes and fittings. “Our representatives were satisfied with the turnout,” the country’s commercial attache Kerol Anwar said.