“Project Qatar 2011 which opens on Monday serves as an excellent gauge of just how much growth can be expected in Qatar and will be instrumental for organizations that want to position themselves in this vibrant market,” said George Ayache General Manager of IFP Qatar, the organizer of the event.
“Whatever industry will achieve during the event will have a domino effect on all businesses linked to construction and infrastructure and bodes well for the future of both industry and Qatar’s overall economy looking forward.”
Project Qatar 2011, the 8th International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition, is a staggering 73 per cent bigger than the 2010 edition of the show, underscoring the importance of Qatar in the construction landscape since the announcement the country would host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Spreading across 52,000 square meters and occupying the biggest tent erected in the Middle East, Project Qatar 2011 will break new records for size and impact and showcase the country’s booming construction and building sector.
The event will run from May 2nd through to May 5th, at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC) is expected to attract over 40,000 visitors during the four day event.
Event organizer IFP Qatar has commissioned a 30,600 square meters air conditioned extension to the venue, the largest temporary structure ever constructed in the Middle East, to bring this year’s exhibition space to 82,000 square meters to accommodate the spurt in interest and confidence in Qatar’s construction industry.
With exhibitors ranging from construction companies and technology providers to heavy machinery operators and design consultancies, Project Qatar 2011 runs the full scope of the construction industry’s supply chain.
Project Qatar 2011 has received the unprecedented backing of the international community with 16 supporting bodies from construction heavyweights with representatives from the UK, France, Korea, Spain and Australia.
Michel Dhe, the Economic and Commercial Counselor of the French Embassy in Qatar said France would be fielding its largest delegation yet and has doubled the size of its national pavilion at the DEC.
“Project Qatar 2011 will be a great opportunity to focus our partnership in the construction domain,” Dhe said
Meanwhile, Alev Duzjun, Commercial Counselor of the Turkish Embassy in Qatar said Project Qatar was an important venue to highlight his country’s expertise and growing capacity in the construction industry.
“Turkish companies have already helped complete projects in Qatar estimated at $7 billion,” Duzjun said of the contribution his country’s companies had already made towards Qatar’s development, stating the country’s industry was ready to engage further.
Some of the region’s biggest players in the construction field have thrown their support behind Project Qatar 2011 and the role it plays regionally and internationally.
Mohamad Eid, General Manager of Naffco, the largest firefighting equipment manufacturer in the Middle East, said Project Qatar underlines the country’s maturity and respect it has gained in the international industry.
“Project Qatar 2011 provides immense international exposure for Qatar and reinforces its image as a construction and property hub,” he said, adding it was important also for the Qatar market to gain exposure and know about “certified products” and “qualified companies”.
“The exhibition makes us competitive against international companies since it provides a high degree of exposure that would have taken us 20 years to achieve had we promoted ourselves on our own or thorough other events,” R. Vedhachalam, Chief Technical Officer of HBK Contracting, one of Qatar’s best known construction companies, said.
“The overwhelming response to the 2011 edition of the event prompted us to considerably exceed previous venue sizes and event scope estimates to cope with growth. We had to increase DEC’s exhibition space by 73.3 percent to support the large lineup of exhibitors and our projected footfall,” said Michele Gebrael, Project Manager of Project Qatar 2011.