Davis Langdon's head of Middle East operations rates the show as the year's top business event, advising novices they'll need at least 100 business cards a day

I am the head of the region, so I already spend a lot of time out in the Middle East. Cityscape is the key date in the calendar because it's the most original and important industry event. It is very comprehensive and offers representation throughout the region, not just the Gulf.

The best way to get the most out of the event is to spend enough time at the exhibition, making sure you have time to walk through and absorb all the information. Just hanging around the souk is also great; it enables you to talk to people and swap ideas with industry people.

Dubai is really interesting right now, with projects like the Nakheel waterfront scheme, because of the size and scale of it. It really feels like the new economic zone out there and it's nice to see all those projects coming to a reality.

The Middle East is an amazingly exciting environment for our sector; there is great diversity and I like the way people respond to ideas

I've been going in and out of the Middle East in the last 14 years, and been involved in the Gulf about 10 years. I am based in the UK but travel through the Middle East regularly. Dubai is our centre, as it's easy to travel in the region from there. We also have offices in Beirut.

The Middle East is an amazingly exciting environment for our sector; there is great diversity and I like the way people respond to ideas. The region itself is greatly different from country to country, and it makes sense to operate there right now.

My tip for the novice Cityscape visitor is to make sure you have enough business cards with you - take at least 100 per day you are planning to stay at the conference.

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