From late August to early September 2026, the highly anticipated Big 5 Construct Saudi 2026 (Phase II) officially opened in Saudi Arabia. This marks the region's first large-scale exhibition to resume in full following the suspension caused by the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East in March this year. Speaking at the event, Xiao Feng, Vice President of MIE Events, noted that with regional tensions stabilizing, Chinese entrepreneurs can now attend the expo with confidence. Feedback from the event site between late August and early September has sent a clear signal: the MICE industry in the Middle East is accelerating its recovery.
At this year's Big 5 Construct Saudi, over 150 Chinese companies have arrived on-site with their "Made in China" products, taking center stage at the exhibition. Xiao Feng revealed that, had it not been for the geopolitical situation, nearly 300 Chinese companies were expected to participate, bringing the actual turnout to around 200. This figure indicates that while Chinese enterprises have an even stronger demand to tap into the Middle Eastern market, corporate sentiment remains cautious following earlier volatility, leading to prolonged decision-making cycles. Many are still waiting for feedback from the first batch of exhibitors, while factors such as the recovery of logistics and internal budget approvals have prompted them to assess the current timing more prudently.
However, this "caution" does not equate to cooling demand. Xiao Feng pointed out that the Middle East remains one of the few regions globally where mega-projects are seeing rapid rollouts and infrastructure investment remains sustained. For Chinese companies, the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia in particular, is no longer a question of "whether to go," but rather "how to go more steadily and deeply." Many of the companies now heading to Saudi Arabia are not merely testing the waters in the short term, but are seizing the initiative to secure their market positioning for the next two to three years.
The successful staging of the exhibition is not just about the organizer putting on the event; it is the result of the entire business ecosystem springing back into motion. Xiao Feng emphasized that the recovery of the Middle East region requires the simultaneous restoration of multiple conditions, including international flights and visa facilitation, exhibit freight and maritime logistics, travel arrangements for buyers, and internal risk control approvals within enterprises. There is often a misjudgment in the outside world regarding the Middle Eastern MICE market, with a tendency to view the "Middle East" as a monolithic, perfectly synchronized market. In reality, there are vast differences among the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Morocco in terms of the business environment, exhibition calendar, security situation, and policy openness. Companies will be more cautious, but they will not simply exit the market. Especially in essential sectors with sustained demand such as energy, power, building materials, and infrastructure, market demand has not disappeared.
The relaunch of Big 5 Construct Saudi has kicked off the "peak season" for the Middle Eastern MICE industry. From September to December, the exhibition market in the Middle East, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, will enter an intensive period of events. This return is not a simple restart, but rather a process in which the market, amidst a divergent landscape of "robust demand yet growing prudence," seeks anew to find certainty and growth drivers.