meetings
SECB
1 A new chapter begins
Te Saudi Exhibition and Convention Bureau is boosting the kingdom’s meetings sector, explains its Executive Director, Tariq Al Essa
The opportunity for Saudi Arabia to develop a world-class meetings sector is self- evident. A large, youthful population, well- established tourist products driven by its cultural and religious significance and the largest economy in the region, Saudi has the fundamentals to be a global meetings player. The Saudi Exhibition and Convention
Bureau (SECB) was launched in September 2013 with the express aim of helping kick- start the process. Its ultimate goal is to develop, regulate and monitor a sector that can provide an important economic strand for the country. Executive Director Eng Tariq Al Essa explains the challenges.
What were the principal issues in the Saudi Arabian meetings eco-system that the formation of the bureau sought to address? What are the main hurdles that need to be overcome to develop the sector? Since 1975, the sector has been regulated by committees chaired by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the
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Council of Ministers approving measures to govern it. These regulations allowed the Ministry of Commerce to license events based upon specified criteria that served the best interests of the country. However, it did not provide any strategies or mechanisms to promote or develop the sector. This remained in place until 2013 when the Council of Ministers passed a new decree forming the Saudi Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB). According to a study released by the World
Bank and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), the sector generates more than US$2.3 billion (SAR8.6 billion) for the country’s economy annually. Even though there is activity within the sector, the regulatory framework within KSA is still seen among stakeholders as a disincentive for future growth. The current regulations are significant barriers for organisers and are restrictive to innovation and development of new events. Limited access to the country is also seen as a major discouragement
for delegates which overall reduces the country’s attractiveness for new events. Based upon previous studies and recently
held stakeholder interviews, a number of concerns within the sector were identified: • Lack of clear regulations • Inefficient and difficult visa processes • Difficulties in forecasting business and budgets (due to regulations, lack of data)
• No calendar of events • Conflicting events (the same type of events in the same city)
• Inability to hold events over the year • Lack of sector statistics • Lack of government marketing support • Lack of inventory knowledge • Lack of clear development strategies for new convention centres
The SECB has established organisational pillars to address each of the challenges.
1 Eng. Tariq Al Essa, Executive Director, SECB 2 Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
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