During the inaugural edition of The Big 5 Construct Egypt, held at the Egypt International Exhibitions Centre on 18-21 September 2018, and organised by dmg events, international construction companies praised Egypt's construction sector, expressing that Egypt is Africa's largest construction market and its market has great potentials and opportunities. Exhibitors from 24 countries showcased the latest technologies for the country's $335bn worth construction market. Beyond that, they look at investing in Egypt, bringing business development opportunities and boosting FDI into Egypt. Michael Monnerjahn, consultant at the German pavilion at The Big 5 Construct Egypt exhibition shared his optimism of Egypt's economy as a whole saying, "Germany has been a constant participant at a number of The Big 5 events in the region, and our participation in the show's first edition in Egypt signals the German government's strong interest in Africa and its booming construction sector." Monnerjahn added that the German pavilion included 17 German companies and others who are present independently, pointing out that in the coming years German presence will increase in such exhibitions, bringing internationally recognised German construction technology and machinery to this expanding market. For his part, Pavlos Petrou of Greece's Nikolidakis Group noted, "we were surprised by the extent of potential and opportunities the Egyptian market presents. We are very happy with our decision to come to Egypt and, as we learn more about the Egyptian market, we are confident that this is the first of many more visits to come." Further, India's Ambassador to Egypt Rahul Kulshreshth, inaugurated India's pavilion on the show's first day. During a tour of his country's exhibiting companies, said, "this is the first time India has a pavilion in a construction trade show held in Egypt and I see this as a promising sign, given that trade volume between Egypt and India last year reached $3.68bn. Exploring the Egyptian market will provide Indian companies with great exposure in Africa's largest construction market." Ming Gao, foreign manager at Yanghzou Weiguang Metal, part of China's pavilion said, "we have been doing business with Egyptian companies for years now, and being in Egypt at The Big 5 Construct Egypt representing China fills me with hope that Egypt's construction market is tremendously expanding. During the first day, we had constructive meetings with local companies seeking Chinese industry know-how and we are positive that the show's first edition in Egypt will present us and Egyptian companies with long term business partnerships." Josine Heijmans, portfolio director at dmg events, said that opportunities in Egypt are immense, adding, "we look forward to supporting the growth of the Egyptian construction industry introducing innovative products, facilitating partnerships, and offering free education to all built environmental professionals."
