The Big 5 construction trade show opens today

"The Big 5 of the Big 5" tables released today show companies from the UAE, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom, India and Australia among the top ranked in terms of the value of projects with which they are associated.

The tables are based on analysis of the active construction projects currently underway in the UAE across the oil and gas, petrochemical, civil construction and, power, water and industrial sectors and contained within the database of Proleads, the research partner of The Big 5. (For full details, please see accompanying tables).

Exhibition space at The Big 5 - one of the world's largest shows for the construction industry and associated suppliers - has been completely sold out with the five-day event taking up the entire space of the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre. A total of 53 countries will be represented at The Big 5 and there will be more than 3,000 exhibiting companies. The organisers are expecting more than 50,000 visitors.

"As the region's biggest event for the building and construction industry we are delighted to unveil the biggest companies across the most crucial areas of project development," said Bernard Walsh, Managing Director of The Big 5 organisers dmg world media Dubai.

"It is important to say that the $800bn of projects in this survey are all currently under construction," he added. "Despite caution over future projects, it emphasises yet again that the huge projects underway in the UAE are increasingly at levels unmatched in other parts of the world as the economic slowdown affects markets worldwide."

Proleads is currently tracking in excess of 5,200 individual projects worth in excess of $4trillion across the Middle East and is the mostly widely referenced database of its kind in the region. The database lists more than 980 projects under some level of construction across all industries in the UAE with a total value in excess of $800bn.

In the tables, Dubai's Nakheel tops The Big Project Owners; a Belgian dredging company is the number one Principal Contractor; US companies led by Hill International dominate The Big 5 Project Managers; Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank is the leader in terms of Project Financiers; and an Australian firm tops The Big 5 of Project Architects with a development in the tiny emirate of Umm Al Quwain.

Though the analysis covers all industries, civil construction developments continue to dominate projects currently underway topped by Jumeirah Gardens ($95bn), Dubailand ($54bn), Palm Deira ($40bn), Yas Island ($38bn), and White Bay Umm Al Quwain ($29bn).

Alongside The Big 5 exhibition will be The Big 5 PMV - The Middle East's premier construction plant, machinery and vehicles at the same venue. Exhibitor numbers have increased by 70% at this year's Big 5 PMV, 85% of which are international companies. The Big 5 PMV will feature an outdoor arena showcasing outsized equipment over an area of 40,000 square metres.