CONSTRUCTION Show Cebu, or CebuCon, is all set to mark its silver anniversary as it takes the center stage at the Sky Hall and Mountain Wing Atrium in SM Seaside City Cebu from June 2 to 5. Themed “25 years of building business networks in the construction industry in the Southern Philippines,” this trade exhibition remains relevant in the Southern part of the country, showcasing product solutions, innovations and expertise that meet the current and future industry demands.
According to L.A. Ducut & Company, Inc. Managing Director Lilibeth Ducut-Abais, “This milestone event is a proof that CebuCon delivers its commitment to be a significant trade link between suppliers and their market in the region by being the popular venue for product displays, launchings, market tests and networking event among industry trade professionals, suppliers and stakeholders.”
Attesting to this fact is Manila-based industrial and power tools and machines distributor Elektro Werk Inc. (EWI)—one of the pioneers and consistent exhibitors in this annual event.
“With the exposures we have had at CebuCon since then up to now, has contributed to our business growth,” EWI President James N. Tan said. “Our company is a consistent exhibitor-sponsor at CebuCon. The show, as always, is beyond showcasing. Its organizer, L.A. Ducut & Company, Inc. extends value-added services to both CebuCon exhibitors and visitors, even outside the event dates.”
For a constant trade visitor like United Architects of the Philippines National Auditor Arch. Eldred Caesar I. Tan, on the other hand, the Construction Show Cebu has proven to be an innovator and in the forefront of this kind of exhibition in this part of the country.
“It has not only showcased materials, tools and equipment, but has also provided for intellectual stimulation by way of seminars attended by architects, engineers and allied professionals. More important, CebuCon has benefited only those directly involved in the construction industry but also the home and building owners in particular and the general public,” he explained.
Convinced by the success of the biggest and longest running yearly building and construction exhibit in Southern Philippines, Architechnologies Inc. (AI) has signed up for the first time to join the event as it believes it will be a fitting platform to introduce their new software to the local market. “The ProgeCAD Professional 2018 is our next generation of alternative CAD product in the market, set to handle bigger-sized files, this is the best version yet. The Construction Show Cebu, or CebuCon, with its 25th year celebration, is a very good venue to launch the latest offering of ProgeCAD,” AI Technical Director Arch. Dennis S. Mayo noted.
“It is our belief that there are still a lot of professional who need the benefit of an affordable CAD package. We believe that CebuCon also carries that belief of sincerely serving the AEC [architecture, engineering, construction] industry and with this partnership, we are tapping the potentials and networks unreachable to us [at the Architechnologies],” he added.
In Central Visayas, for instance, most of the construction activities in the region are in Cebu, the P27.9-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, the P50-billion Metro Cebu Expressway, the P9.2-billion New Cebu International Container Port, the P98-billion 25-kilometer Cebu rail project, and the P420 million worth Metro Cebu flood-control projects, among others. Other areas, like Bohol and Siquijor, also saw rapid infrastructure developments since the first semester of last year. Such strong growth of the construction sector here and elsewhere nationwide is seen to continue due to sustained economic fundamentals. Based on the 2016 report of London-based Timetric’s Construction Intelligence Center (CIC), titled “Construction in the Philippines-Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020”, the Philippine construction industry is expected to continuously grow in the next three years, bolstered by the residential and infrastructure markets. From $30.2 billion in 2015, CIC projects the sector to reach $47 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 9.22 percent. Meanwhile, BMI Research’s Philippine Infrastructure Report in January predicts that it will grow from P1.09 trillion this year to P1.73 trillion in 2021. The sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP is, likewise, projected to expand from 6.8 percent in 2017 to 7.3 percent in four years.
These prospects open new opportunities for L.A. Ducut & Company to make CebuCon even more responsive to strong demand from the local construction industry. Conceived and first organized in 1993, the Construction Show Cebu is aligned with the vision on what Cebu has become and is becoming as a major gateway of trade and tourism in the region. The exhibit’s major cooperating agency is the Hardwares Consolidated Inc.