Big 5 exhibition helped in corporate networking

Dubai: The Big 5 Exhibition, the region's biggest construction and infrastructure event, concluded yesterday after a four-day run. While many contacts were established, exhibitors reported a distinct lack of buyers.

Exhibitors said that while it was a good place for establishing contacts, not many direct deals were made. "There were not many buyers, mostly suppliers. We made contact with a lot of service suppliers but not many potential, future clients," said Altaf Jasnaik, corporate communication and branding manager for Sharp.

Elias Bardawil, commercial manager of Emirates Specialties, construction material suppliers, agreed: "It was a better chance for networking than business deals."

"We had many successful meetings. Our main aim was to promote and project our brand and give our suppliers and customers a chance to see and interact with us and establish an initial contact," said Saadullah Khan, CEO of Mulk Holdings.

"How people were managing their businesses prior to the downturn is probably different from how they are doing it now, therefore it requires access to new products, services and technologies. The event aimed to provide them with a tool in order to bring their services forward. There were clearly some lessons to learn, experiences to share and strategies to forge for the future," said Simon Mellor, vice-president of construction for DMG World Media Dubai.

While the footfall on the first day was high, many exhibitors reported a steady decrease in the number of visitors each day. "The timing was not very good, especially with the last day falling on the beginning of the Eid holiday," said Bardawil.

"We were expecting more traffic. On the first day there were more people, the following day the number of people was reduced and the following day it was reduced more and more," said Zurab Taymaskhanov managing director of Inter Taym Steel Products.

Exhibitors noted a large number of visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council and a distinct lack of inquiries from visitors in the UAE. "We saw a lot of people coming from outside the UAE. This was most probably to do with the market slowdown," said Taymaskhanov.

Green products attracted the most inquiries throughout the event. "There was a lot of interest in our green products," said Bardawil.

"The green certification which we were focusing on came out very well. Danube started green certified products with timber which it showcased at The Big 5 Exhibition and from the positive response, we are going to make more of our products green," said Harry Moses brand executive of Danube building material.