Facilities management market in the Gulf region worth US$ 892 billion

The figures released by Middle East Strategy Advisors (MESA) show that the FM market in the UAE alone is potentially worth US$ 704 billion, with the markets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar worth US$ 96 billion and US$ 92 billion respectively.

Facilities management, which advocates an integrated approach to managing the built environment effectively, is still an emerging concept in the Middle East yet experts predict that the industry will eventually outstrip the region's booming construction business.

Organisers of the region's only exhibition dedicated to facilities management, FM EXPO, now plan to double the size of the event in 2007 to reflect the rapidly growing importance of the market. FM EXPO was launched successfully in Dubai in June this year and is organised by Streamline Marketing Group and dmg world media.

Streamline Marketing Group is also setting up an FM Business Group, in response to requests from the FM business community, and will be organising regular networking evenings to allow professionals from the industry to discuss issues affecting their business. The first event will take place in the Renaissance Dubai Hotel on November 6.

Sinead Bridgett, Project Manager, Streamline Marketing Group, said, 'The Middle East is experiencing phenomenal growth in construction, reflected in a plethora of exciting new projects and developments from hotels and resorts to airports, hospitals and massive commercial complexes.

'In turn, this growth is fuelling an insatiable demand for much needed, high-quality facilities management with developers intent on optimising and protecting their investments. As a result the facilities management market from Jeddah to Dubai is set to enter a period of exceptional growth.'

Facilities management is the integrated management of all types of built environments from commercial towers, resorts and hotels to oil refineries and hospitals. FM practitioners oversee the management of a building from its inception, providing a range of services including property strategy, building maintenance and operations, management of space, energy and communications infrastructure.

Experts in the field estimate that in the lifecycle of a building the design and construction phase only accounts for 20 per cent of the overall costs with the remaining 80 per cent being taken up by the operation, maintenance and management of the facilities.

Management consulting firm MESA has estimated that the total value of construction projects either planned or currently underway in the UAE, KSA and Qatar comes to US$ 223 billion putting the cost of managing the facilities over their lifecycle at US$ 892 billion. If existing developments are also included this figure could well be double.

Sinead Bridgett said, 'In the GCC alone facilities management is expected to rise significantly in the coming months and years due to the substantial expansion within the region coupled with the ageing of existing buildings, which undergo harsh weather conditions adding to their premature wear and tear.'

FM EXPO next takes place from June 3 - 5, 2007 at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre alongside the Hotel Show, Office and InRetail exhibitions and more than 12,000 visitors are expected to attend the four events.

Organisers have set a target of increasing the number of exhibitors and exhibition floor space at FM EXPO by 50 per cent compared with 2006. Exhibitors will include companies from the environment, energy, health and safety, IT, maintenance, management, property services and security sectors in the Middle East, Europe and worldwide.

Features new for 2007 include a Supplier's Zone, a dedicated section for companies that supply products and services to FM practitioners, and a demonstration area, where exhibitors can showcase new FM technology. The seminar programme, which was highly successful in 2006, will be returning with a focus on environmental issues, including energy efficiency, 'green buildings' and solar power.

A new forum has also been added to the FM EXPO website, which allows FM professionals to talk online about issues affecting them and FM business trends in the region.