Just where has the year gone?

By the time you read this, the giant exhibition space at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre will be empty again. The figures were truly impressive: 3 000 exhibitors from 52 countries, covering 43 000 m2 of exhibition space, and 22 national pavilions. However, the sheer magnitude of the spectacle that was The Big 5 could only be grasped once you entered the teeming concourse area and felt the palpable buzz of excitement and anticipation. Yes, it was big.

Given the current focus on infrastructure development, it was not surprising that MEP – and the HVAC sector, in particular – were very well represented, with companies from as far afield as Wales and China touting their products, on the lookout for business, or canvassing for agents. If you looked hard enough, there was a welcome break from the overall gravitas of the event with such oddities as waterless urinals incorporating television screens to gold-plated faucets.

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While we are unable to report on the show in any detail in this issue due to print deadlines, the January 2010 issue of the magazine will contain a detailed report from Construction Week news editor Matthew Warnock on major HVAC companies represented at The Big 5. Warnock canvassed a number of exhibitors, and reported that, “in spite of a global slowdown that has forced many in the construction and development industries to look for the lowest-price options, the manufacturers and suppliers of HVAC and MEP solutions have claimed that developers and specifiers are not cutting corners on price.”

In one of the biggest business deals unveiled at The Big 5, Alessa Industries from Saudi Arabia announced a US$200 million JV with Huntair of the US, a major manufacturer of air-handling equipment. An important part of the deal is that Huntair will train Saudi engineers in the US. “We are very excited about the development taking place in the Gulf,” said Eric Roberts, president of the CES group that owns the Huntair brand.

This general sense of optimism about the future was the main feature of The Big 5. Yes, people expressed concern about uncertain market fundamentals affecting the pace and extent of the recovery going into 2010. Yes, companies have to work much harder in accessing the opportunities that do exist, and there are problems like cash-flow constraints and human-resource issues. But if there is was one overarching message from The Big 5, it is that the construction industry has shrugged off the doom-and-gloom attitude that prevailed at the outset of the downturn, and that it is business as usual (even if the market conditions continue to be slightly unusual.)

It strikes me as strange that this is the final issue of MEP Middle East for 2009. Just where has the time gone? The preceding year has been a crucible of fire for many, who have been tempered by the experience. The MEP sector especially has used the slowdown to focus on issues of supply-chain management, quality assurance, skills development and regional expansion, which is a laudable indication of its maturity and sustainability. Given what happened at the end of last year, many are understandably hesitant at predicting what 2010 has in store. I think there is a general sense of relief at having survived the turmoil thus far. I also think there is an understanding that there is no respite from the hard work that lies ahead for everyone.

Therefore it is indeed fitting that we end the year in proper celebratory mode at the MEP Awards 2009 gala banquet on Wednesday 9 December at Grosvenor House. See you there!