This year’s Cambodia Construction Industry Expo looks set to be bigger than ever, with up to 300 stallholders slated to attend.

The exhibition showcases the latest technology, materials, and equipment in the construction sector, with some of the top names in the industry in Southeast Asia getting ready for the three-day event, which starts on December 30 and runs for three days at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh.

Organiser Oum Tivann, head of the Cambodia Constructors’ Association, said that 80 percent of the stalls have now been booked, making this year’s expo the biggest yet. One Chinese exhibitor has 70 individual firms under its control. Another, from France, is representing more than 35 companies. Exhibitors will also be arriving from ASEAN nations such as Vietnam and Malaysia, as well as from financial and construction powerhouses in the region such as Korea and Singapore. Up to 15,000 visitors are expected browse the stalls, where last year the expo attracted 10,000.

Tivann added: “This exhibition is very important because we provide opportunities for local and international investors to acquire business partners and showcase the latest technology within the construction field from many countries all around the world.”

He continued, “Because this exhibition adheres to international standards as well as reflecting the rapid development of this industry in Cambodia, the exhibition is expected to exceed the grandeur of the last exhibition.”

The Cambodia Construction Industry Expo 2017 is being staged in collaboration with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction; the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training; the French Embassy; the Board of Architects of Cambodia; the Board of Engineers of Cambodia; ASEAN Constructors Federation; and the International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors’ Associations (IFAWPCA).

Chhean Monorith is marketing representative of Confluences Distribution Ltd., a French firm that supplies household products, sports equipment, and fire extinguishers, among other things. He said his company’s participation is intended to raise its profile in Cambodia. “This year we’ll be bringing synthetic mats from France to exhibit. These can be used in place of tiles, they’re light, and they’re unbreakable,” Monorith added. “This is our company’s second year participating in this important exhibition and our goal in doing so is to showcase our products to local and international investors.”

Ly Hour, head of the Housing Development Association of Cambodia, said the exhibition is very important because it’s a means to showcase the latest high quality products, technology, and designs in the construction industry. He continued, “From year to year products keep evolving and updating, grabbing the attention of investors in the construction sector who wish to utilize these products in their projects.

“Modernisation of technology helps to shorten the construction period and curb costs; however, as products become more modern and high-tech, the price also becomes more and more expensive.”