The 5th edition of Nepal Buildcon International Expo kicked off on Friday at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu. Over 150 multinational companies are showcasing brands and products from across the globe.

The three-day expo organised by Media Space Solutions in collaboration with Futurex Trade Fair and Events (India)—one of the leading trade fair organisers in the SAARC region—will promote modern architecture, buildings, construction, design and engineering.

For years, Buildcon expo has been showcasing new equipment and technology required in the construction sector. It also allows companies to connect with potential customers. Sandwich Home Solution received good response from visitors during last year’s expo and secured work contracts in Bhutan after the expo, said Srijal Bhattari, managing director at Media Space Solution.

Sandwich Home Solution is a manufacturer of PU roofing panel, PU partition panel, corrugated colour sheet. Bhattari said the expo is a good platform for domestic construction manufacturers to get international exposure.

There are total 140 stalls participating in the expo. Nearly half of the stalls are occupied by domestic material producers and the remaining half by international companies. The organiser said that 300 brands from 15 countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy, and Canada were participating in the expo.

Nepal’s construction sector has become attractive for international construction material producing companies due to the increasing number of infrastructure and reconstruction work activities going on, he said.

The international brands are participating in the expo to get a foothold in the country’s construction sector.

The expo focuses on updating construction related manufacturing technology and exploring export possibility of goods produced here.

The expo is expecting nearly 50,000 visitors this year as around 40,000 visited the expo last year, said organiser. The expo is showcasing construction materials, construction machinery, construction heavy equipment, pre fab structures, UPVC windows machinery, UPVC profile, doors and windows, architectural hardware, bathroom fittings, pipes, tiles and sanitary ware.

The theme of this expo is to promote shared responsibilities, reiterate the industry’s role and responsibility in national development. The organisers said that the focus of this year’s expo would be on five key enablers: facilitating growth, competitiveness, promoting infrastructure investments, developing human capital and encouraging social development.

Meanwhile, the organiser acknowledges that an expo like this creates waste materials in huge numbers.

Therefore, they are taking responsibility for the waste materials and recycling them. For example, the flex board used in the expo will be to a non-profit organisation that produces bags and other items.

 “We are taking responsibility for the waste material produced during the expo and we want to make sure that the place is cleaned after the expo ends,” said Bhattari.