Appeal of GCC construction industry growing amid ongoing challenges in EU markets

Businesses in Europe’s construction industries are increasingly turning to the GCC for opportunities, according to one of the exhibiters at this year’s The Big 5 construction event in Dubai. As EU construction markets continue to make a slow recovery, Ilaria Ferrero, owner of Italian door manufacturer Ferrerolegno S.p.A, said the growth of the Middle East market is one of the main reasons they will be returning to the event in 2015. “This year, will be the second time we have participated in The Big 5. The state of the industry in Italy and Europe is very difficult at the moment but we have been inspired by the possibilities that are being created in foreign markets like the GCC.” The Big 5 has been running for over 35 years and has become the biggest construction event in the Middle East. Together with its two co-located shows, Middle East Concrete and PMV Live, last year’s show broke all attendance records, with 80,000 participants from around the world.  Ferrero said that the opportunity to reach such a big audience all under one roof and a sharp spike in the number of enquiries received from the region were also motivating factors behind the company’s return to The Big 5. “One of the reasons we are returning is because we have had an increasing number of requests from the Middle East about our products and we see it as a very relevant and promising market,” she said. FerreroLegno is one of Italy’s leading producers of high-end and bespoke doors. With a highly-skilled team of dedicated craftsman that draw on some of the latest technologies and techniques, Ferroro said the company will aim to demonstrate how its pedigree can contribute to the construction industry in the region.  “For over fifty years we have been transforming one of nature’s best products – wood – into what we consider to be the finest doors on the market. This is the message we will be bringing to Dubai in November,” she said. The Big 5 will open on 23 November 2015 at World Trade Centre in Dubai, and with last year’s record-breaking visitor numbers coming from 147 countries, the event promises to boost bilateral trade relations with a host other Italian and European companies.  In 2014, Italian Ambassador to the UAE, Giorgio Strarace said that he expected bilateral trade between the two countries to increase by as much as 15 percent.