Aura lights up FM EXPO, as the show organisers forecast 100 per cent growth for 2008

Anders Berg, of Swedish lighting company Aura Light International AB, introduced the Ultimate Long Life lamp, which has a service life of nearly six times that of standard fluorescent lamps, to FM companies from around the region on the final day of FM EXPO.

The three-day event, the first exhibition in the region to be dedicated to facilities management, doubled in size this year following a successful inaugural event in 2006 and now organisers Streamline Marketing Group predict further 100% growth next year.

Berg estimates that the market in the Middle East for Aura's range of Long Life lamps could be worth between two and five million Euros as companies and developers in the region look to minimise their impact on the environment and reduce operating costs. Aura's record-breaking Ultimate model clocks up a marathon 70,000 hours compared with the average 12,000 for standard fluorescent lamps.

'The Long Life concept is based on our commitment to the environment,' he said. 'Using Aura Long Life means using fewer fluorescent lamps, less material and less transportation. They have a minimum life of nine years compared with two to three years for standard lamps, so effectively they only take one third of the raw material and energy to manufacture and emit one third of the CO2. They also minimise maintenance costs meaning that property managers can allocate resources to more important tasks and avoid disturbance in day to day business.'

Berg was speaking as part of FM EXPO's seminar programme, which featured insights into issues affecting the facilities management industry delivered by an impressive line up of international industry experts. Environmental issues formed a common focus of the programme with topics including energy efficiency, solar power, sustainability and 'Green Buildings'.

FM EXPO, taking place at Dubai International Exhibition Centre, highlighted the region's rapidly growing facilities management sector. The latest estimates value the FM market in the Gulf at US$ 892 billion over the next 25 years and exhibitors from nine countries, looking to capitalise on this expanding market, took part in the event.

Facilities management advocates an integrated approach to managing the built environment effectively. FM practitioners oversee the management of a building from its inception, providing a range of services including maintenance, operations and management of space, energy and communications infrastructure.

Sinéad Bridgett of Streamline Marketing Group said: 'FM EXPO has grown in line with the increasing awareness of FM across the region as local companies realise the importance of employing qualified facilities management professionals to manage their property and protect their investments.

'All the major FM service providers from across GCC are here this year and we have had visitors from as far afield as Sweden, Australia and the UK. On the first day we had 18% more visitors than day one last year. We are looking to build on this success for 2008 and expect the show to double in size once again.'

FM EXPO took place alongside the Hotel Show, Office and InRetail exhibitions and was supported by Aruba Networks and Oxygen ME as platinum sponsor, Transguard Group and FM provider MAB Property Service & Development as support sponsors and GRESCO and Operon as associate sponsors.