Sajjad Ahmad, Gulf Today

DUBAI: Facilities Management (FM) sector in the region is growing and the industry is currently valued at about $37 billion, said Jamal Lootah, President of Middle East Facilities Management Association.

He said on the sidelines of MEFMA CONFEX Dubai 2019 that the UAE Facilities Management market is stand at $10 billion and will grow by 15 per cent in the next few years.

The Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA CONFEX Dubai 2019) opened on Sunday at The Address Dubai Marina, with a high-profile gathering of leading players in the industry.

Themed ‘Business Intelligence & Technology-Driven Facilities Management’, the inauguration was led by Jamal Lootah, MEFMA President; Major General Engineer Khalid Qabbani, General Director of Military Works, Ministry of Defense, KSA; Hend Obaid Al Marri, CEO, Dubai Real Estate Institute; Atiq Juma Nassib, Senior Vice President of Commercial Services of Dubai Chamber; and Ali Alsuwaidi, MEFMA Vice President.

This year’s event, which focuses on new innovative methods that address the emerging challenges in the sector and explores the latest technological innovation that enhance FM services, received wide support from 10 of the most outstanding companies in the sector, including Initial Saudi Arabia Co. Ltd as Platinum Sponsor, Apleona HSG Facility Management and Imdaad as Gold Sponsors.

In his welcoming speech, Jamal Lootah explained that MEFMA Confex has become a leading and strategic platform aimed at raising awareness about best practices utilised in employing technological innovation as a mean to drive in growth and sustainability of the regional FM sector, in line with the current ambitious development projects. The event, added Lootah, will be attended by leading decision-makers, government figures, real estate developers and FM professionals in the Gulf region and the Middle East.