Damascus, SANA-The Arab Group for Exhibitions and Conferences has set the date for the 22nd edition of the International Construction Exhibition ” BUILDEX ” to be held from May 27th to 31st at the Damascus Fairgrounds.
During a press conference held Saturday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus, Group General Manager Alaa Hilal said that the number of companies participating in the exhibition, which spans an area of more than 130,000 square meters, has reached 483 to date, representing 34 countries.
Hilal added that these companies include 217 international ones and 266 local others, most of these companies are participating for the first time in a Syrian event since 2011.
He pointed to the wide variety of specialties participating in the exhibition, including building and construction materials.
Hilal noted the size of Arab and international participation, most notably Turkey’s participation in the exhibition, which reached 126 companies covering an area of 3,836 square meters, as this is the largest international participation this year, in addition, there are 28 companies from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and a similar number from Jordan, China is also participating with 11 companies, while Egypt is participating with 15 companies, Germany with two companies, and one company each from Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman, and Kuwait, the remaining international participation is represented by local importing companies and their Syrian agents.
According to Hilal, this year’s five-day exhibition, which runs from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM, is distinguished from previous editions by offering visitors a wide variety of options and a broad horizon by viewing more than 100,000 types of products and materials, and learning about modern construction technologies.
The Director General of the General Establishment for International Fairs and Exhibitions, Mohammad Hamza, said that BUILDEX, with its current edition, marks the beginning of a new phase in the Syrian economy and sends a clear message to the world that Syria will regain its historical status and enter a new phase of reconstruction.
He noted that since the liberation to date, more than 70 percent of the exhibition city has been restored due to the destruction and vandalism inflicted during the years of war.
Hamza considered the current participation in the exhibition to be positive, pointing to the negative effects of the sanctions imposed on Syria and their role in preventing a number of foreign countries and companies from participating in the exhibition.
The official responsible for international marketing for BUILDEX, Phyllis Harm highlighted the company’s recent efforts to attract Turkish and European companies participating in the exhibition, diversify the participating specialties, and provide opportunities for them to present their products and services to contribute to the reconstruction process, this will enable these companies to secure promising investment opportunities in Syria in the coming period.
MHD Ibrahim