São Paulo – Through a partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Brazil’s National Institute of Plastics (INP) is bringing eight local businesses to the 39th edition of The Big 5 – the Middle East’s premier construction industry show – in Dubai from November 26 to 29. The companies are Grupo Alfamec, Astra, IVPlast, Plasutil, São Bernardo, Bandeirante, Promaflex and Sansuy. Pictured above is last year’s edition of the expo.
The group of executives will arrive in the emirate on the 23rd and are expected to return before the event is through, on the 28th. “The purpose of this business mission is to figure out how Brazilian plastics manufacturers can place their assorted home and construction items on this market as best as they can,” said Gilberto Agrello, a specialist in international market access and development for the Think Plastic Brazil program. Designed to promote Brazilian plastic in other countries, the program is an initiative of the INP, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian petrochemical industry.
“We are seeking opportunities to supply product in the medium term, with an eye on events like Expo 2020, which Dubai will host, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,” said Agrello. Some of the companies involved already ship product to Arab countries and are planning to further cement and improve their positions, while others are trying to break into the market. According to Agrello, the trip will also serve the purpose of collecting information regarding trade barriers and logistics across the Middle East.
The companies’ products can be divided into two categories, the specialist explained: one is household goods for kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, offices, organization and external areas; and the other is construction finishing items and accessories like screw anchors, faucets, sinks, mirrors and toilet seats.
Arab Chamber international business executive Rafael Solimeo said the idea is for the executives to engage in parallel activities and benchmarking – the comparing of products, services and business practices in order to improve a business’ performance in any given market.
Solimeo revealed that unlike in past editions of the trade show, the Arab Chamber will not have its own stand: it will work as a guide for the Brazilian enterprises instead. “The fair has grown a lot and one of the fields Brazilian companies are the most active in – dimension stones and ceramic facing – now has a spinoff show of its own: Middle East Stone (which saw its fourth edition in September),” he said. According to him, the show will be a great place for the Brazilians to do networking, sit down for meetings and have a look at the competition, so as to adapt prices and products for increased competitiveness.
The Big 5
The building industry show will take place in the Dubai World Trade Centre exhibition pavilion, spanning 110,000 sqm. Some 65,000 visitors from around the world are expected, with 2,500 exhibiting businesses from 50 countries and 100 workshops and lectures.
Registrations are available online free of charge. Walk-in visitors will pay AED 200. Opening hours are from 11 am to 7 pm each day.
This year’s theme is Shaping the Future of Construction. The fair is divided into five sections: MEP Services, Building Interiors & Finishes, Building Envelope & Special Construction, Construction Tools & Building Materials, and Construction Technology & Innovation.
This year will also see the Women in Construction seminar, putting the spotlighton female industry players to promote equal opportunities for women. Training will be made available for women interested in construction, which currently accounts for 10% of the GDP of the UAE, which is working to be one of the 25 most gender-equal countries by 2021.
What else is new
New areas in the expo will include the Live Innovation Zone, showcasing the most innovative ideas in construction and including interactive demonstrations; Start-Up City, for up-and-coming industry players; the FutureTech Construction Summit, featuring case studies and future trends and technologies, discussion panels and presentations. Educational lectures will include The Big 5 Talk Series: Design, Building Information Model (BIM), and Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC-R), and Project Architecture and Management.
To find out more or register, please go to The Big 5 website.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
