Middle East Stone, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, 4-6 September, has almost doubled exhibitor numbers for 2018, with more than 400 global providers of stone, marble and ceramics coming together to procure and supply the stone-based materials that will be at the heart of hundreds of new-builds across the GCC
Expanding to take up in excess of 16,000 sq m of space, the exhibition will welcome its largest ever pool of international pavilions from the likes of Turkey, Italy, Brazil, Iran, Portugal and China as the UAE cements its position as the Middle East & Africa?s leading import and export hub for stone.
Yan Wang, Middle East Stone event director, said, ?Dubai and the UAE lead the way in terms of the stone trade in the region, which makes Dubai the perfect host city for our show.
?Building on the legacies of our first three exhibitions, Middle East Stone 2018 is aiming to transform the route into this surging market for stone suppliers from around the world who are keen to strike as the region gears up for what will be perhaps the biggest decade in its history in regards to urban growth and infrastructure advancement.
?These vast projects come in the lead up to the likes of Expo 2020 Dubai and Saudi Vision 2030, two of the key reasons the Middle East?s stone market is experiencing such buoyancy. Not only will the exhibition look to bring international stone suppliers to one of the highest-spending construction markets in the world, but it will offer insight, technologies and networking solutions that won?t be found at any other show in the region.?
According to market analysts BNC, the GCC currently accounts for 20 per cent of the global stone market. Economically, that is said to be worth in excess of US$5bn-a-year and is expected to account for 19.6bn metric tonnes of stone by 2020.
Across the region, urban construction accounts for 80 per cent of all stone usage, being at the heart of residential, commercial, hospitality and infrastructural developments.
As of last year, BNC estimated there to be 20,885 active construction projects taking place in the GCC ? with the UAE and Saudi Arabia constituting for approximately 70 per cent of that.
Middle East Stone has grown year upon year, with 2017?s exhibition welcoming 253 exhibitors from 26 countries. Of last year?s 20,000+ participants, 80 per cent ? or four in every five ? had a buying capacity in excess of US$100,000.
Along with its stone procuring opportunities, Middle East Stone will once again host three-days of CPD-certified workshops and talks at its Stone Conference. The Live Product Demonstration, an interactive display of the most innovative products and technologies in the stone and fit-out industry, will give visitors the opportunity to get a first-hand experience of the products and services reshaping the construction and stone industry too.
Osama Ezzit, owner of Saudi-based OEA Design Build who attended last year?s Middle East Stone, explained why he would be returning for 2018. ?I had a very productive visit at the show and met with existing and new potential suppliers, both local and international, for our projects in Saudi, Egypt and the UAE.?
Mohammad Hashim Khan of Global Landmark General Contracting and Transportation echoed that view, saying, ?Middle East Stone is an amazing show. I got the chance to meet many suppliers and manufacturers of stone and marble products from across the globe all under one roof. I highly recommend a visit.?
Wang added, ?Every area of our show will have nearly doubled in size for 2018; from our exhibitor numbers through to the physical size of the exhibition. It?s an impossible to miss opportunity for suppliers to get your stone in the hands of those who need it, and for buyers to get the materials they need to build projects of all scales and sizes.?
