
The outbreak of COVID 19 changed the course of events the world over. Many of our favorites events were forced to be held virtually. This brought about a new type of experience; however, a question still begs, what is going to happen to our physical networking events? There are events we all used to look forward to in the past. Events that facilitated networking and catching up with current construction trends and innovations.
However, most of these events could not hold in 2020 due to COVID restrictions and precautionary measures. There seem to be a turn around with the advancement of vaccines and many governments learning to contain the threat of the virus, leading to gradual easements of lockdown and restrictions.
These have enabled some events to scheduled for later this year, and if things go on as planned, here are some of the construction events you should look forward to both in Nigeria and abroad.
1. International Building and Construction Show
The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) is known as a construction epicenter as hundreds of construction projects are embarked upon yearly. The international building and construction show, also known as “The Big 5 Construct”. Visitors in the previous editions have benefitted from the event in the areas of connecting with suppliers and manufacturers, sourcing new international products, enlightening and educational sessions, and discover the latest and trendiest innovations. The 2021 edition has been scheduled to hold from the 12th to the 15th of September 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

2. Build Expo
Organized by Oliver Kinross, BuildExpo holds yearly in four different cities including London, New York, Sydney and Chicago. Attendees include contractors, developers, engineers, government investors, architects and real estate companies. It brings together professionals from across the AEC and real estate industries. It also promises lots of exciting and fun things such as live music, mural paintings, competitions and so on. The scheduled dates and venues for each city can be found on their respective websites.
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3. Nigeria Build Expo
Organized by ElanExpo, a brand that is “passionate about the communities that they serve and skilled at creating the ideal circumstances for relationships to develop, knowledge to be gleaned and deals to be done by the departments of sales, marketing, B2B, visitor promotions, project, finance, and advertising”. Nigeria Build Expo saw its maiden event held in 2019. It is an event that features both exhibitors and visitors. It has been scheduled to hold from the 19th to the 21st of May, 2021 at the Landmark Centre, 2&3 Water Corporation Road Victoria Island, Lagos – Nigeria. In previous editions, value engineering and building information modeling were the subjects of discourse. The summit is proudly supported by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Nigeria (ACEN), The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) amongst others.

4. Ceramica West Africa
This event brings together stakeholders in the ceramic, stone and sanitary wares from all over the world. This 4th edition is scheduled to hold from the 19th to 21st of May, 2021at Lagos Landmark Event Centre. It features exhibitors and professional visitors from over thirteen countries from around the world and is supported by organizations like The Nigerian Society of Engineers, Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Attrezzature per Ceramica and a host of other media partners. It is co-located with ALWINDO expo, BuildExpo and Mega HORECA expo.

5. The Big 5 construct Nigeria
This is a 3-day exhibition of global products, technology, and innovation running consecutively with conferences that educate and inspire both visitors and exhibitors. The organizers of this year’s edition have promised to adhere strictly to all COVID precautionary measures. The Big 5 event promises a conducive environment for business matchmaking and access to targeted buyers. This exhibition features the concrete, building materials and tools, solar energy, building services and building interiors and finishes sectors. It is also going to be co-located with other amazing industry events such as the big 5 heavy Nigeria and the HVAC R Expo, Nigeria. This event has been scheduled to hold from the 8th to the 10th of June, 2021 at the Landmark Center, Lagos, Nigeria.
