The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning) sector in the Middle East will be the focus of a trade show to be held in Abu Dhabi next year.

The HVAC Gulf Exhibition & Conference will be held from April 20 to 23 simultaneously with three other building shows under the umbrella of the Building Futures Gulf by Batimat Exhibition and Conference.

HVAC market leaders such as Tabreed will be among key participating companies at the event.

Reed Exhibitions Middle East is hosting the Building Futures Gulf by Batimat at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. It is an umbrella event consisting of four shows devoted to high performance buildings – HVAC Gulf, Structure Gulf (structural products and components), Envelope Gulf (Façade systems and joinery) and Intelligent Building Gulf (Intelligent Building solutions and Energy performance).

According to a survey conducted by AMR International for Reed Exhibitions, the Middle East HVAC market has been valued at over $1.08 billion (Dh4 billion). Of this, district cooling accounts for approximately one-third of the market with Air-conditioning equipment making up the remaining two-thirds. The market is registering a growth rate of 25 per cent annually.

Leonard Lecoq, show manager, Building Futures Gulf by Batimat, said: “The explosive growth of the construction sector in the Gulf has made the region a top priority for HVAC vendors. The building sector in the region has now reached a period of maturity and the need for a more intelligent approach to HVAC planning is being keenly felt in the industry”.

By hosting this event, Reed is responding to a market need for a specialised HVAC-specialised show. 'Our goal is to provide a platform for exhibitors and visitors to derive the maximum possible value by participating in specialised shows such as HVAC Gulf,' he said.

US-headquartered International District Energy Association (IDEA), a leading industry body for the district cooling sector, estimates that the Middle East will generate demand for cooling services of more than 20 million tonnes of Refrigeration (TR) over the next ten years. Investments in the Middle East district cooling sector will surpass $27 billion (Dh100 billion) by 2017, according to IDEA estimates.

Besides majors like Tabreed as well as other companies from around the world, HVAC Gulf will feature an Italian pavilion with nearly 30 companies showcasing Italian excellence in the HVAC sector. The Italian pavilion is being organised through a joint agreement between Reed Exhibitions Middle East and Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE).

MCE is the world’s leading event focused on thermal comfort and 2,750 exhibitors took part at its last edition in 2006. The event also received a record turnout of over 170,000 visitors from 134 countries. The next edition of Mostra Convegno Expocomfort will be held from March 11 to 15 2008 at the FieraMilano exhibition centre in Rho, Milan.

“HVAC Gulf is pleased to welcome Tabreed as well as other key participants to the show and we will strongly leverage their support and our collaboration with Mostra Convegno to bring the latest developments in the HVAC field to this market,” said Lecoq.

Stating that Tabreed’s participation in top industry and sector focussed events were being used to draw attention to the many advantages of district cooling technology, Dany Safi, CEO, Tabreed said: “At HVAC GULF we want to highlight our success and the various district cooling networks we have developed over the last 10 years as well as the major projects we have supplied to.”

Safi also said that owners of existing legacy district cooling systems are upgrading their production plants, investing in new technologies and infrastructure to improve efficiencies. They are also expanding their networks to cater to increased demand for cooling services in the region.

“Developers are increasing