Second edition of Conmex opens at Expo Centre Sharjah

Present at the inauguration ceremony were Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Advisor to the Chairman and Board of Directors of Expo Centre Sharjah, Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and officials of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

The four-day exhibition, organized by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of SCCI, is displaying the entire range of construction plant equipment.

This includes machinery and equipment, earth moving and road construction machinery, construction and commercial vehicles, plant and machinery for asphalt, concrete, cement and stone, tools and special systems, attachment, spare parts and accessories, communication and navigation equipment, safety equipment and other related products and services.

'The debut edition of Conmex in 2006 had generated an overwhelming response from the regional construction sector,' said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, following the inauguration ceremony.

'The huge success that Conmex had received in the debut edition itself maybe attributed to its sector specific focus along with the comprehensive exhibit profile. Owing to the boom in the Middle East construction industry, the demand for construction plants, machinery, equipment, vehicles, spares and attachments in the Middle East, is at an all time high. Conmex 2007, following on the footsteps of the debut edition, will strive to fulfill that demand from a single platform. I am confident that the current edition of Conmex will be received with even greater intensity by the Middle East construction industry,'

he added.

This year's Conmex is occupying a total exhibition area of 31,000 sq. m. including 15,000 sq. m. of outdoor space. More than 280 brands from 23 countries including UK, UAE, Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan (ROC), Italy, Germany, Russia, Slovenia, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Spain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Belgium, Ireland and Iran, are being represented at the event.

Besides individual participation, Conmex 2007 is also featuring an imposing presence of country pavilions from China, Romania, India, and Italy.

'Conmex today is considered to be one of Middle East's leading sourcing avenues for high quality construction related machinery, equipment, and vehicles, and spares,' said Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Advisor to the Chairman and Board of Directors of Expo Centre Sharjah.

'This year's Conmex has undergone significant expansion in terms of number of exhibitors, occupied exhibition space, and exhibit profile. This in itself is an indication that the event is keeping pace with the growth in the regional construction sector and its accompanying sourcing requirements.

Conmex is part of Expo Centre Sharjah's highly successful B2B series of events and the enormous success that it has received within a very brief span of time points towards the organiser's decades of experience in hosting similar shows,' he added.

The current edition of Conmex, given its highly focused exhibit profile, will attract key personnel and decision makers from across the regional construction industry including contracting companies, traders, distributors, stockists of construction machinery and equipment, service providers including transport companies, consultants, renting and leasing agencies, and public administration.

'The Middle East region is currently in the midst of a construction frenzy and Conmex is one of the region's largest and most dedicated display of construction machinery, plant, equipment, vehicles, and spares,' said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah.

'As such, we expect large numbers of key construction industry personnel not only from Middle East but also the North Africa region as visitors.

'Besides being the region's most exclusive sourcing platform for the construction sector, Conmex 2007 will prove to be an ideal networking platform. Other than facilitating meetings and interactions amongst visitors, it will provide ample opportunities for serious dialogue with senior representatives of the exhibiting companies,' he added.

In other words, visitors to Conmex can expect to not only explore business opportunities and finalize deals but also get a clear picture of the technological breakthroughs taking place in the field globally.

It is estimated that currently, over $1 trillion worth of projects have already been planned or are under way in the GCC region. The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are expected to spend a further $150bn on infrastructure over the next three years.

In other parts of the Middle East, Iran and Iraq have several high value construction projects with the total worth being $97bn and $27bn respectively.

The annual market demand just for used construction machinery and equipment in the Middle East exceeds Dhs5bn.

Besides an unique exhibit profile and numerous opportunities for networking, the ongoing edition of Conmex holds several other attractions.

The live demonstration of tower cranes, forklifts, earthmovers, concrete batching plants, and other light and medium range machinery, equipment, and vehicles, in the display area outside Expo Centre Sharjah, is bound to be well received by the visiting construction industry personnel.

Another major highlight of this year's Conmex will be the product launches on the sidelines. More than 40 product launches have been planned at the event including special launches for the quarry, railway, and the construction-engineering sector.

Conmex will be open daily till November 8th from 10 am to 7 pm for trade visitors only.