RIYADH — The Big 5 Saudi, being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources for the first time, was officially opened by Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Eng. Osama Bin Abdulaziz Al-Zamil recently at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

It was the first construction industry event of the year and is set to drive integral conversation and introduce sustainable and innovative solutions to achieve the goals set out by Saudi Vision 2030.

Also for the first time, the event also held The Big 5 Saudi Construction Leadership Summit. Under the theme ‘Collaborating to deliver the Saudi Arabia of the future’, the summit was led by 25 industry thought leaders talked on economy, sustainable development, leadership, investment, technology, and mobility of talent.

The Big 5 Saudi 2022 is co-located with specialized events such as HVAC R Expo Saudi, FM Expo Saudi, Clean Expo Saudi, and Stone & Surface Saudi Arabia to further facilitate the Kingdom’s vision and serve the entire construction lifecycle.

Meanwhile, the industry talks at The Big 5 Saudi Construct featured global and regional leaders with sessions focused on seven key themes: market outlook; concrete, architecture & design; HVAC-R; facilities management; project management; and technology. Trending topics were covered at the 50 free to attend CPD (Continuing Professional Development) certified educational sessions.

The sessions included challenges and opportunities for the Kingdom’s construction industry, the Saudi building code overview, the importance of sustainable design, Gulf standards for HVAC-R, facilities management digital transformation, the future of project management, and BMI workflow optimisation, among others. — SG