As Qatar works towards the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the Qatar National Vision 2030, international interest in the country continues to grow. This is reflected by Project Qatar 2014, to which 2,100 companies from 47 countries expected to attend. 

A total of 24 countries are setting up international pavilions at Project Qatar 2014, the International Construction Technology & Building Materials Exhibition, which takes place on 12-15 May at the Qatar National Convention Centre. 

Three of these countries – Indonesia, Palestine and Romania – are taking pavilions to the event for the first time, reflecting the desire of growing markets to get involved in the construction industry in Qatar. 

More established countries taking international pavilions include major event hosts Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

“The international pavilions have been fundamental to the success of Project Qatar, which has a long history of attracting many global exhibitors and visitors. The pavilions offer international exhibitors a central platform to showcase their expertise, products and services,” said Rawad Sleem, Project Manager, Project Qatar.

“The participation of all these international pavilions demonstrates their recognition of the importance and commercial value of partnering with Project Qatar 2014, positioning their nations in Qatar amongst key global leaders in a market experiencing world leading exponential growth in infrastructure, building and construction.”

Francois Sporrer, French Trade Commissioner, Director of UBIFRANCE Middle East said, “There are many construction and infrastructure projects in Qatar, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup in 2022. In 2014, US$40 billion are going to be invested in various projects in this booming market. Project Qatar 2014 is definitely the place to be which is why the French pavilion, organised by UBIFRANCE, will gather nearly 30 French companies offering various state of the art technologies and French know-how for the building industry. Some of these companies are already active in the Qatari market and a number of others are looking forward to Project Qatar 2014 to network with partners and distributors.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has confirmed that it will send a delegation to the Soccerex Asian Forum, which takes place on 13 -14 May in Jordan. 

Secretary general Hassan Al Thawadi is to speak on the “Major Events Panel” and deliver an exclusive presentation on Qatar’s plans to host football’s biggest event. The 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts will also welcome delegates to the VIP Lounge and an exhibition stand that will highlight the various projects that Qatar is undertaking over the next eight years. 

“It is a huge honour to welcome back Mr. Al Thawadi and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy to another Soccerex event,” said Soccerex Chairman Tony Martin.

“The positive investment being made by Qatar for the World Cup represents the commitment and passion shown for football within this thriving continent.”

With an unprecedented number of stadiums and infrastructure projects to be built, training facilities to be supplied and sponsorships to be agreed on, the Qatar 2022 World Cup represents a unique opportunity for the international major events industry. The Soccerex Asian Forum is a rare occasion for the industry to meet decision makers from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

A record number of senior industry figures from FIFA and the AFC are set to attend this year’s Soccerex Asian Forum. Leading dignitaries will also attend from La Liga, Real Madrid, Liverpool, the United States Soccer Federation, Manchester United, the Australia Football Federation, the Qatar Football Association, Barcelona, the Japan Football Association, the All India Football Federation and Galatasaray. 

The Forum, held in partnership with the AFDP founded and chaired by HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, will bring together the leading figures from the world of Asian football as well as other international football experts to discuss the development of the game across Asia. The conference agenda will include a review of the opportunities for growth and the challenges facing Asian football.

For more details about the Soccerex Asian Forum please contact Soccerex on +44 208 987 5522 or visit www.soccerex.com/events/asia/

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the stadiums and infrastructure required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has announced the main contractor for the stadium being built in Doha’s Al Thumama district.

Qatari construction giant AlJaber Engineer LLC and leading Turkish construction firm, Tekfen Construction, were confirmed as joint-venture partners.

Arab Engineering Bureau, the oldest architectural and engineering consulting firm in Qatar, was confirmed in 2015 as the Design & Construction Supervision Consultant for the 40,000-seater stadium.

Al Thumama – a proposed venue for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar - is the seventh stadium for which the main construction contract has been awarded. The venue, located just minutes from Hamad International Airport and in the centre of the urban development of Qatar’s capital Doha, is scheduled for completion by 2020 and will host FIFA World Cup matches up to the quarter-final stage.

SC Secretary General, Hassan Al Thawadi, said: “We are delighted to award the main contract to AlJaber Engineering and Tekfen as a joint-venture. The stadium in Al Thumama is located in one of the most rapidly developing areas of Doha. Once ready, the stadium and its surrounding precinct will not only become one of the capital’s central sporting arenas, but will also serve the local community as a central community destination.

“I am confident that the signing of Al Jaber Engineering and Tekfen Construction, one of the leading construction companies in Turkey, will deliver an outstanding, legacy-oriented stadium for a historic tournament.”

The stadium is located in an area of 515,400 square metres that already comprises four outdoor training pitches and office facilities currently used by the Qatar Football Association Technical Committee. The stadium will have a reduced capacity of 20,000 seats in its post tournament legacy mode as part of the SC’s modular stadium legacy plans.

Eng. Hilal Al-Kuwari, technical delivery office chairman at the SC, said: “We’re pleased to bring together two firms as reputable as AlJaber and Tekfen to deliver such an important project for the SC and Qatar. The awarding of this contract represents another important project milestone, coming at a significant time as Qatar and the SC move beyond the half-way point in its World Cup journey. The appointment of a local company in this joint venture also demonstrates our commitment to ensuring the economic legacy for Qatar, post 2022.”

Construction began in Al Thumama in mid-2016, with TiME Qatar as the project managers. Most recently levelling and grading works were completed by Boom Construction. The stadium design will be launched in 2017.

In 2016, main works were awarded to Al Rayyan Stadium and Qatar Foundation Stadium and Lusail Stadium, which joined Khalifa International Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor City and Al Wakrah Stadium in construction main works stage. Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will award the main contract in the second quarter of 2017.

All contracts on the stadium in Al Thumama incorporate the SC’s Workers’ Welfare Standards. Contractual enforcement of these standards and a rigorous four-tier auditing system guarantees international best practice on the stadium.

HOST CITY: The entire Qatar 2022 project requires more construction work than any other sports event in history. How do you feel about the challenges ahead?

Al Khater: The heavy lifting is not the stadiums; it is the rest of the infrastructure. We do not see it as a challenge – we see it as a significant amount of work.

There is a fine balancing act and the next nine years are exactly like that. We are putting into place a decision-making process, up and down the supply chain, that is quick and efficient.

HOST CITY: What are the most important criteria for selecting main contractors for the construction work?

Al Khater: One of the most important attributes will be the ability to understand the local requirements and dynamics of major programmes within Qatar. Whilst there is such a large amount of activity taking place within a relatively short timescale, it is vital that our delivery contractors understand the landscape they will be operating in with the challenges and opportunities that this presents.

Another attribute would be the open dialogue that we would expect throughout our supply chain and the early communication of risks and issues as well as the recommended options for resolution. We want to work closely with our partners within an approach that has a “no surprises” mentality.

HOST CITY: How does the design of Al Wakrah stadium fulfil obligations to FIFA?

Al Khater: Throughout the design process, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has been working with AECOM and Zaha Hadid Architects to ensure all of FIFA’s stadium requirements, from bowl design to seating capacity, are fulfilled.

Al Wakrah Stadium’s concept design was developed to exceed FIFA’s requirements while remaining consistent with Qatar’s existing and future sports infrastructure needs.

HOST CITY: What will happen to the elements of the modular design that are to be removed after the World Cup?

Al Khater: Many of our stadia will include demountable grandstands. Those stadia will be downsized after the 2022 FIFA World Cup to ensure that Qatar is left with venues that are fit for purpose. Approximately 170,000 seats will be donated to countries in need of sporting infrastructure, which will be determined in conjunction with FIFA and the continental football confederations.

HOST CITY: How does the design of Al Wakrah enable it to act as a community hub?

Al Khater: Our plans are fully inclusive. We have listened to the community’s needs and taken into consideration their desires in the stadium and precinct plans and will continue to do so throughout stadium construction. As a reflection of these needs, the Al Wakrah Stadium Precinct will include:

• Two FIFA-compliant training pitches fully cooled to an optimal 26 degrees Celsius.
• A multi-purpose indoor arena incorporating two indoor halls and four tennis courts Two basketball courts and associated support facilities.
• A four-star business hotel with 150 rooms to support Al Wakr h as a fledging business hub.
• 5,000-10,000 sq m retail space available to Qatari entrepreneurs to incubate SMEs.
• A hospitality vocational training centre to train-up the local and regional youth, who will welcome the world to Qatar in 2022 and form the fabric of a Middle Eastern event management industry.
• An international school for 1,000 pupils incorporating a 400m running track 

HOST CITY: The 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently scheduled to take place in the summer. How will the stadium create a comfortable experience for players and fans?

Al Khater: The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and teams of international climate control experts have developed environmentally-friendly outdoor cooling technologies and strategies to be deployed at stadiums, training sites, fan zones and other areas where fans, team delegations, match officials, media representatives and the FIFA family will congregate.

Qatar aims to almost double tourism’s share of GDP over the next 16 years through investments from government and business. The bold vision was announced at the launch of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 on Monday.

"Our aim is to have the tourism industry contribute a total of 5.1 per cent of GDP by 2030, up from 2.6 per cent today,” said Hassan Al Ibrahim, director of strategy at the Qatar Tourism Authority. 

“USD 40 to 45 billion of investments by the government and the private sector will make this vision a reality."

The FIFA World Cup in 2022 will be a phenomenal showcase for Qatar and the country is under pressure to deliver a legacy for the tourism and events sectors.

"The strategy strives to fully capitalise on Qatar's tourism potential and represents the aspirations of the Qatari people for the future of their country,” said His Excellency Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority.

The strategy envisions Qatar as “a world class hub with deep cultural roots”, further placing the country on the world tourism map and allowing people from around the world to recognize and appreciate what it has to offer via its unique culture and heritage.

"Tourism is a vital pillar in Qatar's development efforts and a key driver of socio-economic growth in the country" said Al Mohannadi.

1.2 million people visited Qatar in 2012, mainly from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. The tourism authority is seeking to widen the range of markets of origin by setting up eight new satellite offices in key outbound markets, in addition to existing offices in London and Paris. 

"Our target is to attract 7 million visitors to Qatar from all over the world by 2030," said Al Ibrahim. 

With a target of USD 10.7bn to be generated from tourism in 2030, the strategy places much greater emphasis on the private sector in the economy with an increased role for entrepreneurship and SMEs. 

It is hoped that investments in infrastructure already underway will bring rewards. The new Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), described by the tourism authority as a “game-changer for the MICE sector,” is scheduled to open in 2014. Also opening in 2014 is Hamad International Airport, which promises to become an important hub for transit passengers.

The UK-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has announced that its first lecture tour of the Middle East will take place on 13-17 March. Sir John Armitt, Vice President International of ICE and Chairman of the London Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is to speak in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai. 

The series of evening lectures, entitled "Developing Modern Infrastructure", will specifically address the challenges of planning and executing large-scale infrastructure projects.

The chairman of the London 2012 ODA and former chief executive of Network Rail, Sir John will share his knowledge and insight into the challenges of planning and delivering large-scale infrastructure projects. 

The lectures will make particular reference to the London 2012 Olympic Games in the light of the many new and ongoing infrastructure projects in the Middle East, such as World Expo 2020 Dubai, Qatar 2022.

Sir John will speak in Abu Dhabi at 6:30PM on 13 March, Doha at 6:30PM on 16 March and Dubai at 6PM on 17 March. For more information about these free lectures, contact melanie.hill@ice.org.uk