The Big 5 Heavy 2018 with official German participation

This year, the Middle East will be the strongest growing construction market in the world. Dubai‘s government is currently realizing projects worth 8 to 9 billion dollars for the Expo 2020 alone. New projects are started everywhere in Dubai – partially in the middle of the desert – including metro, airport, harbor, free trade zones, residential ­areas, theme parks and malls. The number of hotel beds will be doubled in the next four years. Design and planning phases for dozens of mega projects have been concluded, the construction phases have started. Construction works take place 24 h, by day and by night.

Close to 2,600 exhibitors from 59 countries were present at The Big 5 in November 2016. Nearly 80,000 trade visitors used the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and developments at the trade show. After China, Turkey and Italy, Germany was the country with the most companies representing it at The Big 5. “Made in Germany” is highly respected in the Arabian world, and the construction sector of the Gulf states will continue to generate export opportunities for German companies.

Official German ­participation in March 2018

Upon the request of numerous regular exhibitors of Middle East Concrete (former integral part of The Big 5) and on the initiative of VDMA Frankfurt (German Engineering Federation‘s Association for Construction Equipment and Building Materials Machinery), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) has decided to promote a joint stand of German companies on the next Middle East Concrete taking place in March 2018. Hence, there will be an official German participation. This will have a positive effect for the participants, in particular in financial terms, since such government funds nearly half the normal exhibition prices charged by the organizer.

A participation will also be simplified in organizational terms, because stand construction will completely be realized by the German event organizer.

At present, BMWi initiates a tender regarding the implementation of the German joint stand. Messe & Marketing M. Pittscheidt, the contact office for The Big 5 Heavy, assumes that an event organizer will be nominated soon and will provide information in this regard as soon as the exhibition stand builder has been nominated and a contract for the organization has been awarded by the Federal Government.

Free tabletop presentations possible

The separation of the Middle East Concrete from The Big 5 was surprising for many exhibitors at first, although, in principle, this step had been prepared for some years. But to provide the exhibitors with the opportunity to meet and receive their international customers and trade visitors at this year‘s Big 5 anyhow, there will be the possibility for companies taking part in Big 5 Heavy/MEC 2018 to present themselves with tabletop presentations on the occasion of the Big 5 Precast Summit during The Big 5 in November held on the exhibition premises of World Trade Center. This participation is free of charge. Owing to the large number of enquiries in this regard, the organizer has decided to accommodate former exhibitors with the opportunity to use The Big 5, on the one hand, for networking, while referring to a participation in the Middle East Concrete as part of The Big 5 Heavy in March 2018.

First registrations have already been confirmed with 21 German companies: Adam Folk, Badger Meter, BFS, Eurobend, Frima, GPE German Plant Experience, KVM, Lissmac, MBK, Obtego, Putzmeister, Ratec, Reckli, Dr. Schulze, Schwing Stetter, Carl Stahl, Stock Big, Vollert, Wehrhahn, WKB Systems and Zenith (effective 07/10/2017).

Basically, five related trade show topics are combined: concrete – Middle East Concrete, construction equipment, mining, foundation and road construction. The Big 5 Heavy will take place from March 26 to 28, 2018 and will clearly differ from The Big 5 in November which, on the other hand, includes ventilation and air-conditioning, door, windows and façades, tools, interior design and building automation.