CAEx Build & Co. 2026: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Tashkent)

Three days of cement, glass and tile

The halls fill with construction kit. CAEx Build & Co. 2026 is the 3rd International Exhibition of Construction and Building. It takes place at CAEx Uzbekistan in Tashkent from November 19 to 21, 2026. Two earlier editions came before it, so this is a show with some history, though it is still young.

Expect what a building trade fair always brings. Stands show cladding samples, flooring, pipework, windows and insulation, and the big ones have machinery on display. Most conversations are about supply contracts, distribution and getting into a construction market that has grown fast across Uzbekistan and its neighbours.

How the dates fall

The show runs Thursday to Saturday. That shape matters if you are planning around it. November 19 and 20 are working weekdays, and they are usually when trade fairs like this do most of their serious business: procurement teams, contractors and distributors walking the aisles with lists.

The Saturday tends to feel looser. Exhibitors often use the last day to see the rest of the show and follow up on earlier meetings before stands come down. Daily opening times, the hall layout and the exhibitor list live on the organiser’s official site. This guide does not give those times.

Getting to CAEx Uzbekistan

Most international visitors land at Tashkent International Airport, a short drive from the city centre. From there, and around town, the usual way to move is by ride-hailing app. Yandex Go is the one locals and visitors use most. You type in “CAEx Uzbekistan” as the destination and avoid any haggling over the fare.

The Tashkent Metro is worth a ride in its own right. Its Soviet-era stations are known for their chandeliers, mosaics and marble, Kosmonavtlar being a famous example. For a trade fair, though, carrying sample bags and catalogues, most attendees take a taxi straight to the venue door.

Badges, cards and working the halls

At trade shows here, registration comes first and talking comes second. Visitors usually register through the organiser’s system and pick up a badge at the entrance desk. With badge on, the halls are open to walk freely.

Business customs follow a pattern familiar across the region:

• Language: Russian is still the main working language of business in Tashkent, with Uzbek alongside it. English is common on the larger international stands. A Russian-language business card or brochure opens a lot of conversations.
• Greetings: A firm handshake is standard between men. Many Uzbek men greet women with a nod and a hand on the chest instead, so let your counterpart offer a hand first.
• Tea: If an exhibitor pours you green tea at the stand, that is the start of a real conversation. Sitting down for a cup is normal.
• Payment: Local cards (Uzcard and Humo) dominate. Hotels and bigger restaurants take international cards more and more, but cash in Uzbek so’m is still the default at markets and small cafés.

Follow-up is typically done on Telegram, which is the messaging app of choice for Uzbek business. Exhibitors often trade Telegram contacts as readily as email addresses.

Plov at noon: Tashkent’s lunch clock

The city eats plov at midday. Uzbekistan’s national dish of rice, carrots, mutton and onion is cooked in enormous cast-iron kazan pots. It is traditionally a lunchtime meal. Plov centres cook a set batch each day and serve until it runs out, usually some time in the afternoon.

The best-known of these is the Central Asian Plov Centre, also called Besh Qozon, near the Tashkent TV Tower. Rows of steaming kazans stand out in the open and the dining halls fill at lunch with office workers. Plates come with bread, a tomato-and-onion salad, and often a slice of horse-meat sausage (qazi) on top if you ask.

Many trade visitors take a long lunch on one of the show days for exactly this. Others leave plov for the Saturday, when the halls are quieter. A plov lunch is also the classic way to take a new local contact out.

Late November in Tashkent

Tashkent’s climate is continental, and by late November the summer heat is long gone. Days are usually cool, nights are cold, and grey skies or rain are common. Snow is possible but it does not stay long this early in winter.

What visitors usually pack for the show:

• A warm coat for the taxi rank and the walk between buildings
• Layers underneath, since exhibition halls are heated and get warm with crowds
• Shoes that cope with a full day on hard hall floors
• A tote for catalogues and samples, which pile up fast

Daylight is short in November. Evening meetings and dinners happen after dark, and that is normal for the season.

Around the show: a day in the city

Most visitors stay in central Tashkent, around Amir Temur Square and the hotel cluster nearby. From there it is easy to reach the venue by taxi and to eat well in the evenings. Russian, Uzbek, Korean and Georgian restaurants all run side by side in this part of town.

If you have a spare half-day, three stops stand out:

• Chorsu Bazaar: a huge domed market of dried fruit, nuts, spices and bread in the old city
• Hazrati Imam complex: the city’s main religious ensemble, home to what is said to be one of the oldest surviving Qurans
• Amir Temur Square and Broadway (Sayilgoh Street): the walkable centre, with the Timurid History Museum close by

Entry rules for Uzbekistan depend on your passport. Many nationalities enter visa-free, and others use the government’s e-visa system. Visitors usually register their stay through the hotel, which handles the paperwork when you check in.