On April 29th-30th South Africa’s largest Green Building Conference and Exhibition will be held at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg. Last year’s conference attracted in excess of 700 industry professionals and more than 100 exhibition stands to the event.

Three of the key driving forces for Green Building in South Africa right now are new and unprecedented initiatives from government, a heightened residential demand for green construction and dramatic improvements in the number and range of options of sustainable materials and products available to designers. The South African Green Building market is tracking the growth trends in international markets and government has committed to this growth by adopting global ideals and initiating the process of legislation.

The largest procurers of construction industry materials, products and services in South Africa are now alive to new building requirements that bring about higher occupational and social returns on investment. This means that there has never been a better time to market the environmental features and benefits of your products and services to this audience. Once again, the construction industry in South Africa will gather to learn from and share ideas with various world-renowned built-environment experts and personalities at the Green Building Conference and Exhibition 2010.

2010 is a celebratory year for the construction industry in South Africa as the country plays host to the world’s largest event. South Africa’s construction industry will show off its achievements and its amazing potential as it tackles the issues of first world infrastructure and third world housing into the future.

The Green Building Conference and Exhibition 2010 will bring thought leaders from global markets to join leading national experts on this topic to present, debate and apply global thoughts and trends in green building to the local environment in South Africa. The expanded Conference will take place at Gallagher Estate, Midrand on the 29th and 30th of April 2010 and is likely to coincide with the opening of the Gautrain service to the area of Midrand.

In keeping with the changing green building requirements of design and construction professionals in South Africa, the 2010 event will have three, very focused tracks:

• International presentations from star architects and designers
• Highly relevant plenary content for local professionals and
• Even more emphasis on practical, locally applicable, case study-based break away sessions

An expanded exhibition hall of leading product and service providers will complement the agenda where certain new features will increase the extent to which delegates and exhibitors are able to network, engage and do business:

• Incorporation of break-out session rooms on the exhibition floor
• Large product demonstration stage area on the exhibition floor
• Electronic exhibition directory terminals on the exhibition floor
• Increased build-up and on-site value for sponsors

Dr Ken Yeang from Malaysia and Prof Dr M.N Fisch from Germany have been confirmed as speakers at The Green Building Conference and Exhibition 2010. They are both leaders and innovators in their field. Dr. Ken Yeang is the world's leading architect in ecological and passive low energy design. He has delivered over 200 built projects and his 'bioclimatic' towers have had an impact around the world, fusing high-tech and organic principles. He is best known as the inventor of the Bioclimatic skyscraper (as a genre of low-energy skyscrapers based on bioclimatic design principles), and for his novel ideas on designing the high-rise building type as vertical urban design. Prof Dr M.N Fisch is the Director of IGS - Institute of Building Services and Energy Design at the Technical University Braunschweig, Germany.

BASF and Dulux Trade have been confirmed as sponsors for the event.  In 2008, BASF posted sales of $62.3 billion and income before special items of approximately $6.9 billion. It helps its customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. Through new technologies it can tap into additional market opportunities. It conducts its business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. BASF Products help to protect the climate.

Dulux Trade, part of AkzoNobel, is committed to delivering sustainable products and solutions to its customers. But it can only do this if sustainability is at the heart of everything it does. That's why it has integrated sustainability into every area of its business - for the benefit of its clients, shareholders, employees and the world around it. Dulux Trade believes that the only way to grow is by developing sustainable, innovative solutions that benefits its customers.

There are still sponsorship opportunities open for the event and early bird specials for delegate tickets have been extended through to the end of January. This is an opportunity to engage with the leading people and companies in the industry and will prove to be an invaluable one for your company.