Have you got a slice of Qatar?

Sixco general manager Philippe Dessoy says exhibitions are a good place for new comers.

With Qatar being of sustainable size and not ridden with debts of mammoth proportions, it has been one of the few GCC countries to stand its ground amid the tumultuous economic downturn.

Finding work in the Middle East construction sector has been the “biggest challenge” for most contractors according to a ConstructionWeekOnline.com survey, with Qatar emerging as one of the top three places contractors look for work, along with Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Story continues below

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article

Speaking to CW, Philippe Dessoy, general manager of Belgian construction major Six Construct, which also has an office in Qatar, confirmed that the country was second on the company’s list for job prospects.

“Its definitely one of the places where most contractors are looking for work,” he said. “We have won several jobs here in the past year or so and if one was to add up the value of contracts we have in Qatar, it comes up to about US $824 million (QR3 billion). We also set up our own ready mix company three years ago – United Ready Mix – which is doing quite well.”

Clearly Qatar is a “positive” market to be in currently, but on the flip side, would one be missing out on possible opportunities if they weren’t present at, let’s say, property exhibitions, in some shape or form? Dessoy seems to be in two minds and says it depends on the current status of the company in the region.

“For established contractors like us, it isn’t that important to be present at these exhibitions because we already know everyone in the industry or at least 80% of them. But for new comers looking to break into the market, construction and property exhibitions are a good place to be as this is where one gathers all the information about what’s going on, who to meet and what needs to be done to get into the system,” he explains.

And exhibitions like these are what give us an insight into projects that are being planned for the country. For a start a large chunk of the capital city Doha, is currently being rebuilt to reduce urban sprawl.

Ground breaking on the Musheireb project, previously known as the Heart of Doha, took place in January and the completion of the development is expected to mark the return of Qatar’s old link between the communities and their environment.

“Skyscrapers and isolated living compounds are not the communities we aspire to in Doha. We therefore decided to revive our past, rediscover our traditions, and regenerate the communities we have lost in this world,” said Dohaland CEO Issa Al Mohannadi.

“We will do this by combining the spirit and aesthetic of yesterday with environmentally friendly and sustainable know-how of tomorrow.”