The 46th edition of Big 5 Global, co-located with nine specialised events, including Heavy, Totally Concrete, Marble & Stone World, Urban Design & Landscape, Windows Doors & Facades, HVACR World, LiveableCitiesX, GeoWorld and FutureFM, ended on a successful note in Dubai.

The expo attracted 85,000 attendees from more than 165 countries for four days of learning, sourcing and collaboration, supporting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region’s $9.18 trillion construction and urban development projects’ pipeline.

Addressing the current market demands and opportunities, the expo introduced a unified structure built around four core themes – supply chain resilience, sustainability, technology advancement and talent empowerment – delivering tailored content and solutions for professionals across multiple disciplines.

“Big 5 Global is designed to support the construction industry by aligning each edition with the sector’s shifting needs. Every year, we refine our themes to reflect the market’s opportunities and challenges and this year’s approach clearly resonated with government entities, industry professionals and exhibitors alike,” said Josine Heijmans, Senior Vice-President, dmg events.

“The scale of participation and the calibre of visitors, from senior policymakers to technical specialists and decision makers, reinforced the event’s role as a serious meeting point for sourcing, knowledge exchange, strategic collaboration and practical problem solving. The breadth and quality of products and solutions on the exhibition floor showed how suppliers are adapting to regional and international project priorities. We are already working on next year’s edition, building on the momentum created this year,” she stated after the eventwhich was held from November 24 to 27, 2025.

Building on this momentum, the exhibition floor saw strong activity throughout the week as exhibitors introduced new products, signed partnership agreements and met serious buyers seeking practical solutions for current project demands.

Four key leadership events – Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit, LiveableCitiesX, Big 5 FutureTech and GeoWorld – brought together over 1,800 delegates. The audience represented a targeted mix of senior government representatives, organizational leaders, technical experts and strategic decision makers.

In the session titled ‘The government outlook, Building the future, Dubai’s construction sector and regulatory excellence,’ Naser Al Shaibani, Structural Control Section Manager at Dubai Municipality, outlined how the emirate is strengthening its regulatory ecosystem and transitioning from a smart city model to a predictive city model.

His presentation detailed Dubai’s unified regulatory framework, the end-to-end digital permitting cycle, AI-powered building code tools, BIM standards, automated e-checking processes and 3D printing guidelines.

At the LiveableCitiesX Summit, Dr Christina Yan Zhang, CEO of The Metaverse Institute, delivered an impact address on the shift toward citizen-centered and environmentally responsible digital innovation. She explored how technologies such as AI, digital twins, large world models and brain computer interface applications are reshaping urban planning and long-term sustainability strategies.

Across the four days, the Big 5 Talks brought together specialists for technical deep dives on project controls, next-generation technology adoption, asset performance and field challenges.

In a session on Project controls unlocked, Utilisation, strategy and real-world challenges, Mohamed Ezz, Mena Partner Success Manager for Construction, Project Management Institute, discussed how organisations can strengthen delivery performance by improving integration.

A panel discussion on next-generation technology examined what works, what does not and why when implementing digital tools at scale.  Moderated by Manal Assaad, Founder and Chief CX Strategist of KlarCX, speakers offered guidance on investment priorities, avoiding short-lived solutions and building technology roadmaps that stay resilient through market volatility.

Across the event, 13 content streams delivered a comprehensive programme covering project management, HVACR, sustainability, AI, geospatial, concrete and architecture.