The Big 5 show continues to grow in strength with around 1,500 exhibitors set gather in the seven halls of the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) this month to promote their diverse products and services.

The exhibitors will come from nearly 50 countries, says event organiser dmg Index Exhibitions. The Big 5 is also the major annual showcase for Gulf-based manufacturers, suppliers and contractors who have been associated with the many prestigious projects in the region.

The construction and contracting fair which is aimed at professionals, traders and contractors and specifiers, among others, runs from October 26 to 30.

Combining its five core exhibitions under one roof - building and construction, water technology and environment, air-conditioning and refrigeration, cleaning and maintenance and bathrooms and ceramics - The Big 5 has grown year on year to become largest, most comprehensive trade show for the construction industry in the Arabian Gulf. The show now covers two additional sectors: glass and metal and marble and machinery.

"The Big 5 has become an essential professional meeting place for architects, engineers, contractors, traders, and commercial, public and private buyers from the building and contracting industry," says Bernard Walsh, dmg Index Exhibitions managing director. "It provides a dedicated opportunity to meet suppliers and establish rewarding business contacts.''

"The fair will occupy all available space in the venue, with strong regional participation and ever increasing demand for space from overseas national pavilions," he says.

Walsh says that the heightened global interest was hardly surprising when recent reports show that Dubai alone was recording an 11.7 per cent increase in construction activity. Also the building industry in Qatar was witnessing its best times ever with the state government increasing its public projects budget by 39 per cent for the coming year.

Some 200 local exhibitors including major manufacturers and exporters, as well as companies representing global suppliers will participate at the event. This year, a large UAE contingent will be joined by companies from neighbouring states as well as Iran, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

From further afield - for the first time this year - exhibitors will come to Dubai from Bangladesh, Japan, Latvia, Pakistan, Poland and the Ukraine.

dmg Index expects a total of 22 national pavilions hosted by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the UK.

The strongest international contingent with the largest pavilion at the show will come from Germany. More than 100 German companies will present products and services at the show. The firms represent the sectors of mechanical engineering, water supply and distribution, building industry, among others.

The German pavilion, in Hall 2, is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

The London-based Montgomery International has joined forces with The Building Centre to organise the official pavilion of the UK at the 2002 and 2003 Big 5 show. The Building Centre sponsored the largest ever UK group at The Big 5 2001.

Trade Partners UK has once again awarded financial support to UK companies exhibiting as part of the Montgomery International group.

The trade fair is set to have its largest stone industry presence, dmg says. This will be nearly double last year's turn out. In addition to stone sector stalwart Italy, companies from Spain, China, Turkey and Portugal will be displaying stone-related products and machinery at the event.

Italy's Tuscany Chamber of Commerce is bringing eight companies focusing on the export of precious, top-of-the-range marble products, while a group of Sicilian manufacturers will have on show lava stone products found only on their Mediterranean island.

Portugal, which has its first national pavilion at the event comprising 14 companies, will host a number of organisations from the Portuguese Marble and Granite Association.

Marble and stone also makes up a significant portion of this year's Spanish contingent. Of the 39 Spanish companies participating in the Big 5, 13 cater to the stone and marble market. The Spanish Natural Stone Federation (FDP) will have its own pavilion comprising six companies, while the remaining seven firms will base themselves with the official Spanish group.

China plans to use the event to promote its stone industry and particularly that of Xiamen City and the surrounding Fujian province.

According to dmg Index Exhibitions, the dramatic increase reflects the growing global awareness of the region's construction boom. "The phenomenal regional infrastructure development is creating numerous opportunities for companies from within the international stone industry," says Walsh.

More than 20,000 key buyers and decision-makers from the public and private sector as well as architects, engineers, contractors and other specifiers attended the 2001 event, according to a spokesman for dmg. Last year, the event drew more than 1,000 companies from 39 countries and 17 national pavilions, with visitors up seven per cent compared with the 2000 show.

"Importers, distributors and contractors visit the Big 5 because it's where they meet hundreds of manufacturers who are keen to do business in the region, to grant licences and appoint agents. For architects and engineers, the fair is an essential business tool, to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in materials and techniques. New products abound in all the essential sectors," he adds.

Highlighting some of the major sectors at the Big 5 show, he says: "The building and construction sector will have dedicated solutions for various requirements of a project - from prefabricated constructions to turnkey solutions, from simple bricks to concrete slabs, from tools to fastening systems, wall systems to waterproofing, doors to bridge bearings.

"The Big 5 features thousands of products and services for the water and environment industry, making it easy for professionals to keep up-to-date with the latest technology.

"Visitors whose interest lie in air-conditioning and refrigeration should go to halls 1 and 2 where specialist companies are exhibiting. They should also visit the national pavilions and Gulf-based suppliers in halls 3 and 7, also featuring many dedicated suppliers to this sector of the market.

"No less technical and sophisticated than other sectors in the Big 5 show, but displaying a pleasing aesthetic as well, is the bathrooms and ceramics sector - mainly concentrated in hall 5 at the venue. Local manufacturers and distributors compete with global leaders in the industry with eye-catching displays.

"The astonishing growth during the past decade of the hospitality and office infrastructure in the Gulf countries has created a huge market for cleaning and maintenance products and services, duly represented in force at the Big 5."

Throughout the five days of the event, visitors are invited to attend the free technical seminars which will be conducted by exhibitors at the Big 5 during the show. Experienced specialists will give presentations on new equipment, processes and technology in all aspects of construction and contracting. Among the 50 topics expected to feature at the seminars are: