The Big 5 in Dubai has been home to the largest gathering of construction professionals in the Middle East for the last 35 years.

Exhibitors showcase thousands of products from across the globe and the event includes free Certified Professional Development workshops as well as live demonstrations of a host of products.

The Big 5 2015 was the biggest and most successful show in the history of the event.

Following The Big 5 2015:

The Big 5 is a huge event with way more to take in than one person can manage to get through over a hectic four days. Luckily we’ve had a team of people stalking the halls looking for all the best bits and learning a lot as they go.

Here’s our top 10 take aways that we’ll leave you with for our final post of the exhibition.

1. The Big 5 lives up to its name. Getting around each and every hall has seen our team clock up a mammoth 192,000 or so steps over the last four days, proving it pays to bring your walking shoes if you want to take everything in.
2. There are more exhibitors every year. With the addition of The Big 5 Focus in 2015, exhibitor numbers topped the 3000 mark and the people coming to see them all are increasingly international.
3. We’re afraid of heights. This was proved without doubt when we were 27m up taking pictures from the Selfies at Height platform. Next year, you can take your own.
4. Big deals are going on all around you. For instance Polish company Techmatik secures US$2.7m machine deal and Italian firm MB Crushers signed an $85,000 deal in one day alone.
5. Ongoing professional education matters. The stream of people heading to the myriad CPD workshops and seminars showed just how important people believe it is and what a vital part of The Big 5 the education programme has become.
6. The excavator challenge was actually challenging. Sometimes event challenges can be pretty soft, but not at The Big 5, where a test on a mini excavator was no free ride.
7. The future is getting greener. Sustainability was a recurring theme. The word is on everyone’s lips, whether its green buildings, eco-friendly concrete or sustainable sourcing.
8. Trust matters. Even if you’re a big business, building your presence the region takes time, patience and leg work, something exhibitors told us time and time again.
9. People are here to do business. A glance at any of the sessions on how to set up or carry out business in the UAE would have shown you how attractive the local market is for businesses from all around the world.
10. Registering online before the event is the best thing you will ever do. Don’t forget to do it next year and enjoy a queue-free show. We’ll see you then.