Building and interiors expo aims for another record year

Enormous government investment packages with projects totalling more than $156 billion are expected to bring construction and design professionals flocking to make the 19th Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition (Sbie), an even greater success than last year.

More than 500 exhibitors and nearly19,700 visitors attended last year’s show, with 90 per cent of exhibitors recording sales. Organised by Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Municipal & Rural Affairs and sponsored by Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), the show runs from April 4 to 7 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events and will, once again, provide the ultimate platform for exhibitors to access the vibrant and lucrative Saudi market.

Busy times: More than 19,000 visitors expected

More than 500 companies are participating from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, the UAE and US, alongside a large number of Saudi companies.

“Like in the previous shows, Sbie’10 will also be marked by exhibitors introducing new products and services specifically to meet the needs of the construction boom that continues unabated,” said Zahoor Siddique, exhibitions director at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions. 

The exhibition profile is divided into building and interiors. The building profile includes building materials and hardware, climate control, construction equipment and tools, electricity and lighting, environmental conservation, marble, granite and stone, technology, safety, security and fire prevention, water technology and waste management. On the interiors side, the profile includes hotels and leisure, office environment, outdoors and landscape design, schools and hospitals, shopping malls and restaurants, and the home.

Running parallel to the exhibition will be a high profile symposium featuring expert speakers from the industry conducted by the Saudi Council of Engineers. A host of advisors and specialists will conduct technical demonstrations and provide free consultancy to prospective builders or property owners. The Al-Harithy Company is promising targeted invitations to engineers, designers, consultants, specifiers, importers, agents and manufacturers as well as personal visits to relevant government departments and major Saudi organisations.

The company claims that population growth, with 70 per cent of the population under 30, will increase demand for medical, educational and recreational facilities as well as the five million homes forecast for 2020 and 50,000 additional hotel rooms and 75,000 furnished apartments.

The Saudi government has also recently announced investments worth more than $156 million including 30 skyscrapers at various locations across Jeddah and the $60-billion King Abdullah Economic City. And the continuing boom in the kingdom is expected to fuel demand for interiors and construction experts.

Established as Saudi Arabia’s key event, the annual exhibition is highly supported with participation from international companies, leading Saudi manufacturers, agents and distributors, and a wide spectrum of high profile professional visitors from across the Kingdom and neighbouring Gulf states.

The exhibition opens daily from 5pm to 10pm.