The Big 5 Construct India to deliver value for exhibitors and visitors

The Big 5 Construct India to deliver value for exhibitors and visitors
“We are working with our partners and a network of 40 strong agents to bring over the best of the best in construction products, technologies and innovations,” emphasises Muhammed Kazi, Project Manager, The Big 5 Construct India
One of the key strengths of The Big 5 is its international network of manufacturers and buyers. After proving its mettle as one of the biggest building and construction shows for more than 30 years, The Big 5 has decided to launch in India to create a unique offering to the construction market. In an exclusive interview with ACE Update, Muhammed Kazi talks about its great dream debut.
The Big 5 is an established name in the world of construction. Why India now?India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with construction projects worth in excess of $403.4 billion. dmg events Middle East and Asia wanted to enter India with right partner and is proud to be partnering with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India.
In the past, we have had many requests from our regular Indian exhibitors, participating at The Big 5 Dubai show to bring the brand to India. Encouraged by this and the support received from the government and other industry players, we decided that the time was right to launch The Big 5 in India.
Unlike many other international markets, construction in India continues to offer enormous opportunities within the building and infrastructure sectors. India continues to lure investors, developers and manufacturers of construction products with its $403.4 billion worth of projects.
After consulting with our loyal customers, many of whom exhibit at other Big 5 events, we felt there was a real opportunity for them to showcase their products to the Indian market. Equally, visitors expressed a need to see new and innovative products not yet distributed in India.
To strengthen our footprint in India, we have partnered up with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India to organise a truly unique event for architects, consultants, engineers, contractors and builders to source a wide range of construction products.
How are the things progressing?Things are progressing very well. The show has already confirmed 10 international pavilions in its launch year including Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, UK, Iran, Greece, Taiwan, Korea and China. In addition to this, there will be companies participating from India, Thailand, Japan, UAE, Oman, Vietnam, Portugal, Singapore, France and Australia. With two months left to go, we are 90 per cent sold.
We are close to finalising our free to attend seminar programme. We have a great line-up of topics including enhancing building energy efficiency, façade engineering, regulatory framework, waste management, design trends and techniques, concrete repair, site management and best practice strategies for tall buildings
And finally, The Big 5 Platinum Club — an exclusive invite-only club for the Middle East and Asia’s largest buyers of construction products — is seeing confirmation from the most influential architects, contractors and builders in India.
Being in the 1st edition, what will be your prime target?Our prime target is to deliver a relevant, valuable business event for both our exhibitors and visitors. We want to deliver an event that facilitates serious discussion on the most pressing issues affecting build and construction in India. The event should provide a gateway for international manufacturers to bring in the most innovative, sustainable products and forge our long-term presence in the market together with our partners, FICCI and the Ministry of Urban Development.
In India, there are already few large events in this spectrum; how is it going to be different from others?One of the key strengths of The Big 5 is its international network of manufacturers and buyers. For more than 30 years The Big 5 has forged partnerships with influencers and government bodies to create a unique offering to the construction market, irrespective of its location.
For The Big 5 Construct India, we are working with our partners and a 40-strong agent network to bring over the best of the best in construction products, technologies and innovations. Regional suppliers will also showcase their solutions, providing a perfect mix of regional and international offerings.
The event will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai which may not be a suitable venue to exhibit giant construction machineries. How are you going to address this particular issue? In a launch event, our focus is completely on “building products and construction technologies” sector which is how The Big 5 Dubai started 30 years back and gradually grew to become one of the largest and most established events in the Middle East and South-East Asia. The nature of the event requires a permanent structure; therefore, Bombay Exhibition Centre became a good choice of venue. At the moment, there aren’t many options for venues, particularly in Mumbai. Having said that the Bombay Exhibition Centre will soon have sizeable open space which then will allow us to grow and focus on different sectors of construction.
What kind of support are you expecting from the state and central governments in India?The Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India has been fully committed in supporting The Big 5 in India and are also the co-organisers of the show. FICCI, our partners, is also heavily involved in delivering the event and creating awareness to its contacts and government representatives.
CDOS (Centre of Development of Stones), an organisation promoted by the Government of Rajasthan and Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) has also given strong support.
Are you getting enough support from the industry bodies?We have received excellent support from many industry bodies like ICCTAS, Indian Building Congress, Indian Paint & Coating Association, Solar Energy Society of India, India Plumbing Association, Triz Association of Asia, IAStructE and Centre for Development of Stones.
What is the number of visitors and exhibitors you are expecting?We’ll have around 250 exhibitors comprising of international and local brands and in a launch event we expect more than 8,000 visitors.
How confident are you about the success of Big 5 in India?Together with the support and involvement of the government, FICCI, associations, our knowledge partner PwC, exhibitors and visitors; we are confident that we will be able to deliver a successful event. We pride ourselves on listening to the industry through regular focus groups and feel that our offering is unique and relevant. We look forward to welcoming the industry to the event from September 2nd-4th at Hall 6 of the Bombay Exhibition Centre.

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