Companies focus on opportunities in Sultanate"s property market

Muscat: The BIG (Builders International Gathering) Show 2013, which opened at the Oman International Exhibition Centre here yesterday, has attracted wide participation from local and international companies seeking to capitalise on opportunities within the Sultanate’s construction market.

The tenth edition of The BIG Show was officially opened by engineer Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. More than 175 exhibitors from 15 countries are taking part in the four-day exhibition.

Alongside the exhibition, the first Oman Builders Forum was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel. Nader Abbas, Omanexpo’s general manager, welcomed the conference participants.
Topics such as “An overview of the current standard form of Omani contracts” and “Avoiding major pitfalls” were discussed on the first day of the conference. On day two, the topics “Local culture and its influence on architecture in an Omani context” and “Critical appraisal of the urban context of the built environment in Muscat” will be discussed.

Nader Abbas said, “I am pleased to announce that we have introduced the Oman Builders Forum this year in an effort to expand the scope of The BIG Show through several strategic presentations and panel discussions by our esteemed guests, aimed at addressing the most fundamental issues facing construction in Oman. We are very happy with the level of participation from a wide range of prestigious local and international companies, and we hope that you will find all the different phases of the four-day event to be insightful, beneficial, and of value.”

The biggest and most important show for the construction sector opened its exhibition doors yesterday to trade visitors at 11am. Until March 20, visitors are welcome to view the exhibits from 3pm to 9:30pm.

This year, The BIG Show promises to offer trade visitors more favourable business and investment opportunities, with the support of local premium companies such as Al Turki Enterprises, Windows 2000, Areen Enterprises, Muscat Electronics, Sarco, Teejan Equipment, Al Ansari, Abou Nabil, Al Mutawaa Trading Company, Sadolin Paints, Al Maha Ceramics, Nuhas Oman, Al Hilal Fiberglass and Acrylic Industry, and WS Atkins, as well as international companies representing the national pavilions of Turkey, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Other representative companies from Taiwan, Pakistan, India, France, Malta, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Greece will provide sourcing opportunities for a diverse range of industrial and construction equipment, marble, ceramic, stone, concrete products, and interior-design exhibits.

The government is moving ahead with its large-scale infrastructure projects and is focusing on the development of industrial capacity, in line with its economic development strategy, “Oman Vision 2020.” In its eight-year plan, it had allocated $6.5 billion per year to investment projects, $4.2 billion to airport expansion and construction, $1.3 billion to road projects, $1.3 billion to seaports, $1.2 billion to housing, and $1.2 billion to the utility sector.

Companies focus on opportunities in Sultanate"s property market