Saudi Arabia is poised to become the central destination for events in the Middle East by 2020. This is the prediction of events and entertainment industry experts who are gathering at the upcoming Saudi Event Show that will be held on Sept. 25 – 26, 2019 at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, Saudi Arabia. "The Kingdom's exhibition and events industry is on the rise, and the Saudi Event Show is an ideal platform for events and entertainment industry professionals to learn about the advancements and how to overcome any challenges they are experiencing in the market," said Amar Daginawala, Exhibition Manager at Informa Middle East. "The Show will provide participants with an opportunity to understand the latest trends driving the local events industry, meet and learn from the thought-provoking industry leaders and attend informative seminar sessions." Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority (GEA) is currently working on a broad framework for entertainment services in all cities across the country. "According to GEA, the Kingdom will invest $64 billion in the entertainment sector over the coming decade, which proves the huge market potential for everyone in the events and entertainment industry," he added. Daginawala noted that "Saudi Arabia is the region's largest untapped market in terms of events and entertainment. Therefore, advancing the MICE and entertainment sector is one of the major parts of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 reforms." The Kingdom is targeting to increase household spending on entertainment and cultural activities inside the country from 2.9 percent to 6 percent by 2030, according to its Vision 2030 National Transformation Program. The Saudi Event Show will feature more than 25 seminars and entertainment sessions, keynote speeches and panel discussions, covering everything about the Kingdom's event industry, including market updates, visas and regulations, trends, eSports events, catering, marketing, the latest event tech, and much more. The participants will also get the chance to connect with more than 2000 events and entertainment professionals and 50 innovative exhibitors from across the industry including organizers, entertainment professionals, marketing, PR and creative specialists, operations experts, event technology and solution providers, regulators and other stakeholders. The two-day event will host guest speakers that include some of the top events and entertainment industry leaders in the region. Some prominent speakers include Mohammed Tayem, CEO, entourage marketing & events, who will talk about "Recruiting Your ‘Dream Team' In The Saudi Arabian Events & Entertainment Sector", Philip Wride, CEO of Cheesecake Digital, who will present ideas around "Getting Started In Esports", and Sujoy Cherian, CEO, Option 1 Event Services, who will talk about Services Innovation & the Future in Event Technology. — SG
