MORE than 850 exhibitors have booked space for Saudi Build, the kingdom’s premier building and construction show and one of the region’s longest-running construction events, which opens next month (November 10 and 13) at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This year’s event, which is its 26th edition, has attracted strong international participation, with some 550 exhibitors coming from 38 countries worldwide, according to Shahid Bhatti, marketing specialist at Riyadh Exhibitions Company, the organiser of the exhibition.

A number of international companies participating in the Riyadh Metro project have booked space at Saudi Build, he points out.

“The show has fully sold out, with 26,000 sq m of indoor and outdoor space booked,” he adds.

A highlight of this year’s event is the introduction of a several seminars and workshops which will be held on two days of the show.

Mega projects under way such as the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh are fuelling the construction sector’s growth.

Bhatti says Saudi Build has been a reliable partner in developing and expanding the local construction sector, attracting international companies and industry professionals and offering a comprehensive set of products and solutions covering all aspects of the construction industry.

“Saudi Arabia has been seeing major activity within the construction sector during the past years, which has resulted in a 39 per cent share of the GCC region’s overall construction market,” he remarks.

Bhatti says Saudi Build participants can benefit from $732-billion ongoing and planned projects across the kingdom, some of which include the $116-billion King Abdullah Economic City; $40-billion Sudair Economic City; $66 billion worth of housing schemes, with 500,000 new units in the pipeline; the $16.5-billion revamp of the transport system in Makkah; the $7.2-billion expansion of King Abdul Aziz International Airport; and the expanding hospitality industry (hotel capacity to increase to 53,000 rooms).

“Based on its track record of success and leadership, Saudi Build provides an ideal platform that enables participants to reach qualified buyers and key decision-makers; generate new leads and gain solid access to the Saudi market, which further complements the government’s initiatives to grow and diversify the local construction market,” says Bhatti.

Last year’s event ... attracted more than 23,000 visitors.

Saudi Build 2014 will also host two concurrent events – Saudi Build PMV 2014, the fifth international exhibition for construction equipment, plant, machinery and vehicles; and Saudi Stone-Tech, the 17th international stone and stone technology and machinery exhibition.

Saudi Build annually attracts hundreds of international and regional exhibitors from all over the world including traditional national pavilions from Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, the UK, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Spain, China, Turkey, Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, India, Hungary, the UAE and Jordan, as well as hundreds of Saudi Arabia’s leading building material suppliers and distributors.

Last year’s edition of Saudi Build – which marked its 25th anniversary – saw the participation of more than 873 local and international exhibitors from 36 countries across 25,000 sq m of exhibition space and more than 23,000 visitors. The event resulted in a 7.5 per cent increase in the number of exhibitors. “Saudi Build is the only construction trade show in Saudi Arabia accredited by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry,” says Bhatti.