July 04, 2018: The Middle East Facilities Management Association (MEFMA) recorded major milestones and key achievements during the first half of 2018 in its continuing efforts to provide a dedicated platform for facilities management (FM) professionals and stakeholders as well as support the regional industry’s sustainable growth and acceleration in the 21st century. The association’s accomplishments for the first six months of the year were highlighted by successful events that it hosted—including well-attended and highly interactive workshops and conferences.

Jamal Lootah, President, MEFMA, said, “We take pride in the achievements and success of the association, which has helped drive in key growth to both MEFMA and the FM industry. The strong support given by our members, partners and stakeholders have helped greatly in achieving our objectives and enhancing the global competitiveness of the region's FM segment. MEFMA is highly committed in leveraging its industry knowledge and expertise to create a culture of FM in the region, especially in the adoption of best practices and internationally accepted standards.”

“The association will work closely with like-minded organizations and associations for the continued growth of the regional and international FM industry. MEFMA must take advantage of the steady growth that the real estate sector is witnessing to further develop the industry, which is an integral part of the region's economic development,” he added.

During the first half, MEFMA staged a comprehensive forum on energy efficiency simultaneous with the opening day of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre. The association also organized an interactive FM workshop in Oman in February to help enhance the global contributions of the Middle East’s FM community. In addition, MEFMA hosted a forum and workshop covering the role of FM in the freehold sector in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

MEFMA Confex Dubai 2018, which was held in April, was a major success as well. Participating industry decision makers, pioneers, and experts discussed a wide spectrum of topics during the conference, from steps to securing certificates from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to the latest performance benchmarking within the GCC’s FM industry.

The event reviewed the potential of the FM sector in the region and how companies could play an important role in maintaining this expected increase in revenues. The association also released three reports titled ‘Performance Benchmarking in Facilities Management,’ which indicated strong activity within the core services of utility FM companies; ‘ISO 41000 Facility Management – a global management system standard;’ and ‘How smart buildings can deliver long-term asset sustainability.’

It was during the first half of 2018 that MEFMA founding member Enova bagged the Silver Award at the Global FM Awards 2018. The company was recognized for its excellent performance and key contributions to the FM industry--particularly its exceptional business processes and procedures.

MEFMA's excellent performance reflects its continuing commitment to integrate the best FM concept and practices in all aspects of this sector in the region--especially as the GCC's FM segment is expected to grow at 10 per cent annually in the next two years.

Recent industry reports have shown that the UAE's FM segment has reached around AED 14 billion, which represents around 10 per cent of the Gulf sector's total volume of around USD 37 billion. The sector supervises the cleaning, security and other maintenance services necessary to improve performance, in which the association seeks to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing the sector, enhance efficiency and reduce costs and establish sustainability as well as promote the well-being and happiness of both employees and customers in the global industry.