The facilities management (FM) industry in the Gulf is expected to touch gross revenues worth more than $4.2 billion (Dh15.4bn) this year, up from $3.8 billion that was generated last year. This trend is expected to see the industry grow at more than 20 percent every year for the next five years, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan on the Middle East Facilities Management market.

The report also indicates that this revenue will be mainly driven by demand from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE. It, however, cautions that in order to stay ahead of the curve and be successful, the FM companies will have to implement best practices and adhere to forthcoming regulations laid down by Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA) and the Real Estate Regulatory Agency.

“Despite a plethora of developments across the Middle East, FM in the region is still behind America and Europe. However, our research proves that the market is set to continue along a path of exponential growth and will be worth $8bn by 2013,” commented the author of the report, Suganya Rajan who is a research analyst at Frost & Supported by the Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA), IQPC’s Facilities Management Middle East conference in Abu Dhabi on 22-25 January 2012 will specifically address these issues of implementing FM best practices and adhering to regulations. The conference will bring together key international and regional decision makers, government representatives, developers, main contractors and solution providers from the private and public sectors to discuss new and improved facilities management strategies.

“We will focus on some of the most essential issues and strategies within the FM sector and aim to make this one the most important facilities management events in the UAE. With topics ranging from regulatory compliance and operation to technology and sustainability, this will be the region’s most informative facilities management event” - Jeremy George, conference director, IQPC Middle East.