700
knowledge, professional standards and accreditations; and won business for their members and other stakeholders. IQPC Regional Managing Director, Middle
East, Africa and South Asia Symon Rubens gave his view on the meetings and events opportunities in the Saudi Arabian market. “Conferences are not constrained
by specifi c business models,” he said. “Organisers that strive to continuously innovate are the ones who will thrive in Saudi Arabia.” Rubens said meetings and events
potential in KSA was huge given the country was the largest GCC market with the “biggest investment in key market sectors”. He revealed IQPC’s international clients
had asked to use its KSA conferences as a platform for entering the market and establishing local partnerships. IQPC has organised more than 40
events in the kingdom over the past three years and will stage at least 16 events in the country in 2014.
THE ACTION PLAN The forum also saw SECB Managing Director Eng Tariq Al Essa outline the bureau’s fi ve-year strategic plan for developing the meetings industry until 2018. He said that based on research and market analysis, the SECB’s objectives had been divided into fi ve specifi c pillars: online systems; statistics and research; product development; professional development; and marketing. Top priorities, said Al Essa, included an
overhaul of event licensing procedures to ensure they are effi cient and transparent;
3
“CONFERENCES ARE NOT CONSTRAINED BY SPECIFIC BUSINESS MODELS. ORGANISERS THAT STRIVE TO INNOVATE ARE THE ONES WHO WILL THRIVE IN SAUDI ARABIA”
an increase in consistency of products and services through a classifi cation system; the collection of data to analyse and evaluate the industry with a view to industry benchmarking and the creation of economic impact studies; developing each facet of the sector including venues, organisers and events; training the workforce to meet international meetings and events standards; and to raise awareness of Saudi Arabia as a meetings destination domestically (2014), regionally (2015) and internationally (2016). The SECB’s overview was followed by
presentations by representatives of each of Saudi’s major meetings destinations.
This included Jeddah Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Chairman, Sheikh Saleh Abdullah Kamil, explaining how each region in Saudi Arabia had a unique selling point and stressing the importance of regional collaboration. Meanwhile, a presentation by Dr
Abdelrahman Abdullah Al Zamil, Chairman of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, encouraged the establishment of an association of event organisers in order to strengthen their infl uence in the kingdom. Representatives of the Dhahran
International Exhibitions Company (Eastern Province) and the Al MadinaH Chamber of Commerce and Industry also gave overviews of their respective meetings sector opportunities. Topical issues ranging from the
importance of exhibition industry certifi cation to the use of social networking in order to enhance events and understand visitor behaviour were addressed at the forum, which on day one, wrapped up with a keynote address by HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President of the SCTA and Chairman of the supervisory committee board, followed by a gala dinner for delegates. A second edition of the show is already planned for 2014 in Riyadh.
35 2
T e number of delegates who attended the fi rst ever
Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions Forum in November, 2013. T e delegates were all stakeholders in the sector, with 90 percent representing the local market
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