Al Shareef Moufaq Al Harthy (left), CEO of ACE, assists the Mayor of Jeddah Dr. Hani Abu Ras in cutting the ceremonial ribbon during the opening of the Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition on Sunday at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. Saleh Fareed Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The Mayor of Jeddah, Dr. Hani Abu Ras, officially inaugurated the Saudi Building and Interiors Exhibition (SBIE) on Sunday at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. The exhibition, in its 22nd edition and organized by Al Harthy Company for Exhibition (ACE ), showcases building materials & hardware, climate control, construction equipment & tools, electricity & lighting, environmental conservation, marble, granite & stone, technology safety, security & fire prevention, water technology as well as waste management. Interiors for hotels & leisure, office environment, outdoors& landscape design, schools & hospitals, shopping malls & restaurants & the home also feature. The mayor met with a selection of representatives of participating companies before being given a guided tour of the exhibition by Al Shareef Moufaq Al Harthy, CEO of ACE. The mayor was delighted at the exhibition, saying that the quality and standard as well as the environmental aspect were considered. “This is good. A wide variety of material in building construction and interiors is on display, which means a huge choice is offered to the consumers and the citizens of Jeddah who can go ahead and build a better and beautiful house,” he added. More than 250 Saudi companies are participating in the event, Al Shareef said. He said “the exhibition continues its success year after year because the Kingdom is focusing on developing infrastructure and construction projects for both public and private sectors.” “Saudi Arabia is emerging as the fastest growing construction market in the world. The vast country has become the land of opportunity for its ever-booming building and construction sector and related machinery. Saudi Building & Interiors Exhibition (SBIE) will serve the SR285 billion worth of projects announced in the Kingdom's annual budget,” he noted. Alongside SBIE, the Construction Machinery Showcase organized jointly between Dubai-based publishing house CPI and ACE, will be the largest heavy construction machinery event in the region occupying over 20,000 M2 of outdoor space. Held in parallel will be a high-profile symposium, it addresses topical issues and latest developments and challenges in the field. It is organized by the Saudi Quality Council and addressed by leading experts in the industry. Taking place until April 17, the event is expected to attract more than 25,000 visitors and organizers are optimistic that the week will provide a successful networking and business platform for the industry.