Visitors tour last year's Project Qatar exhibition floor.
Qatar is the "second most attractive market" in the world and the country's construction projects are currently estimated in excess of $280bn, a new report has shown.
Quoting Mena construction projects tracker, Ventures ONSITE, Projects Qatar 2015 said infrastructure-related construction projects are worth $103.4bn and energy-related $40.3bn.
"The large allocations for development projects will open the door to investors," Project Qatar 2015 said and noted that the adoption of a budget of this magnitude would help Qatar in its ambitious economic diversification initiative.
Preparations are ongoing for the 12th International Construction Technology & Building Materials Exhibition to be held at the Qatar National Convention Centre from May 4 to 7, project director Rawad Sleem said.
“Amid a dynamic economy and expanding market, Project Qatar 2015 will nurture the rapid development of Qatar’s booming construction sector, being among the best attended exhibitions in the GCC for more than a decade,” he said.
Sleem said investments in Qatar have soared as interest in the construction market rose due to the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the Qatar National Vision 2030.
He said the impact of Qatar’s construction projects was reflected at Project Qatar’s exhibition space, which was now booked at 80%, nearly four months ahead of the show.
Local and international suppliers and manufacturers will be represented in the exhibition individually and through regional and international pavilions such as: Italy, France, Germany, India, Iran, China, Egypt, the UK, Turkey, Portugal, Austria, South Korea, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Pakistan, Belgium, Taiwan, Thailand, Poland, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
According to Sleem, Project Qatar 2015 aimed to support the country’s ongoing infrastructure development through one of its main concurrent events, Heavy Max 2015.
“The 12th International Exhibition for Heavy Machinery is the leading international exhibition that meets the needs of large construction projects in terms of heavy equipment, vehicles, machinery and cranes,” he said.
Heavy Max attracts a massive number of manufacturers and suppliers from the world’s leading brands, showcases the latest cutting edge construction machinery and equipment, and is an ideal platform to meet the demands of a billion-dollar-value construction market, he noted.
“Project Qatar’s expanding success and contribution to the construction sector will continue to enable those engaged in the industry and serve as a premier platform to boost the Qatari economy and further enhance healthy competition in the building sector,” he added.
“Qatar may have a small population but it has huge plans for its infrastructure development in the next 20 years. It is the second most attractive market in the world for investments in infrastructure,” he stressed.
Sleem also cited recent reports and said the global construction equipment market would hit $145.5bn by 2015, with a steady increase of heavy machinery sales across the GCC and the consumption value of construction vehicles reaching $37.9bn in Qatar by 2015.
