Jeddah, 16 January 2017 - FM EXPO Saudi 2017 and Saudi Clean Expo opened its doors to thousands of visitors as industry professionals turned out in force to learn more about this growing industry.

With the support of Advanced Facilities Management, the headline sponsor of FM EXPO Saudi 2017, the exhibition is giving visitors the chance to explore product and service innovations, enjoy exceptional networking opportunities and participate in the free educational programmes, which kicked off with the Facilities Management Leaders’ Conference.

“We know learning opportunities are important to our audience of industry professionals”, said Alexis Wheatley, Event Director for dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, organisers of FM EXPO Saudi 2017. “That’s why educational sessions such as  yesterday’s conference and the next two days of workshops we have on offer are such a pivotal part of our events.” Today’ssessions start at 16:30 with a look at the role of technology in facilities management then move on to take an in depth look at the healthcare sector. The workshops will explore how the facilities management industry is developing in Saudi Arabia, as well as look at how it will need to grow to cope with future demands.

“With the current quality of FM provision find it very hard to maintain the kind of new building stock being built in Saudi Arabia without a significant change in approach,” said Alistair Stranack, a partner at Credo Business Consulting and presenter of today’s opening session.

“Technology can improve how buildings are maintained, but the challenge is that the prevalent contract structures in Saudi are very much input based and focused on cost per person. The overall economics of the whole building cycle can be handled much more cost effectively if you have a proper maintenance programme.”

FM EXPO Saudi and Saudi Clean Expo, co-located with HVAC R Expo Saudi, all run until  17 January  at the Jeddah Centre for Forum & Events. The events as well as their accompanying workshops are all free to attend .