U.A.E. Facilities Management Well Placed to Weather Economic Downturn

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - The U.A.E. facilities management market is well placed to
weather the current economic downturn being felt around the region according
to United Business Media, the organisers of Working Buildings Middle East
incorporating Fit-Out Middle East; the international trade exhibition due to
take place on the 9th and 10th of November at the Abu Dhabi National
Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

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“As construction projects are put on hold there is still huge
growth potential within the facilities management market due mainly to the
huge number of projects completed recently or just about to be completed in
the region” said Jon Berry, Show Director, Working Buildings Middle East
incorporating Fit-Out Middle East. “As purse strings tighten there is also a
greater emphasis on properly maintaining buildings in order to extend their
lifecycles and keep costs to a minimum”.

This is illustrated by recent developments in the market
including the partnership between Makateb and the Korean facilities
management company Sungwon Development at the start of the year. Since
signing the partnership, Sungwon has gone on to win contracts worth $US1.6
million from A&A Investment’s projects in Jumeirah Village as the Facilities
Management division of Makateb; with the company aiming to achieve 15% to 20%
growth in 3 years and expecting the overall market in the U.A.E. to be worth
more than $10 billion by 2012.

BK Gulf and Operon Middle East have also signed deals with
Wasl, the asset management group owned by Dubai Real Estate Corporation, to
provide services across their residential and commercial properties alongside
Imdaad who have also signed a 10 year contract with Dubai World. According to
the recently conducted Gulf Outlook Survey two thirds of companies surveyed
also say operations in the GCC will move towards Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia.

This year’s Working Buildings Middle East incorporating
Fit-Out Middle East event will have various show sections covering facilities
management, fire protection, MEP, commercial security, building services,
green buildings, fit-out and cleaning and maintenance and will allow key
decision makers to do business with suppliers all at once and under one roof.
The event will also be co-located with the Gulf Landscaping exhibition which
also serves as a sourcing platform and networking event for the regions
landscape architects, developers, contractors and other key buyers.

To showcase your company at this year’s Working Buildings
Middle East incorporating Fit-Out Middle East or Gulf Landscaping please
contact the organisers UBM. Telephone: +971-2-406-4471.

For more information please visit:

www.workingbuildingsme.com

www.fitoutme.com

Further information on UBMi can be found at www.ubmiuae.com

For further enquiries please contact: Bryan Espie, Marketing
Manager, bryan.espie@ubm.com or +971-50-5041255

Source: UBMi UAE

For further enquiries please contact: Bryan Espie, Marketing Manager, bryan.espie at ubm.com or +971-50-5041255