SEA Expo & Summit Opens up a $64bn Attraction and Entertainment Market in KSA

Asu Su／Serena Zheng

Uniting thousands of industry leaders from the leisure and attractions industry in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) Expo and Summit opened on 7th September. The Kingdom’s one-of-a-kind trade event was inaugurated by Mishal Al Hokair, Deputy CEO and GM of Al Hokair Group, Entertainment Division and the President of MENALAC at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center. Also hosting the keynote session, crowds flocked to hear Mishal’s warm welcome to the return of events as a moment to restart the entertainment division as a whole.

Attendees witnessed key discussions around the role of innovation & disruption in the future of entertainment & leisure in the Kingdom’s market while keeping in mind the importance of culture, heritage and authenticity with many more exiting sessions. During the last day the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) Summit hosted top professionals in the sector to discuss the trends and future vision of active entertainment and more. Ahead of the final day of panel discussions, Mawlid Benmansour Vice President MENA at Wibit Sports GMBH, SEA Expo’s exhibitor said, “During these unprecedented times, exhibiting at a trade show is not something that comes to your mind. It has however been a great company decision to exhibit at SEA 2021. The reaction to our booth has been overwhelming. ” “Most of the visitors were the decision makers from different fields like hospitality and entertainment from the private and Government sectors which perfectly fit our target group. The 2022 exhibition is a major date for us in our trade show calendar,” he added.

The future for the entertainment and amusement sector in the Kingdom looks bright. This year KSA is amongst the leading markets in the MENA region with 35% of the companies within the sector showing their highest turnover rate with the forecast for continuous growth of 43% in 2022 and 62% in 2025. This outlook makes SEA Expo an essential part of any company’s marketing strategy operating within the leisure and attractions market globally. Sarkis Kahwajian, Event Director, SEA Expo & Summit, said “The event gives a chance for international industry moguls to showcase their products and services to an already glimmering field that boasts hundreds of entertainment centers, cinemas, and theme parks already under construction, not to mention the mega projects. Given the circumstances, the demand for these suppliers and manufacturers is at an all-time high.”

Kahwajian has also utilized this event to reveal plans for the launch of a brand-new event next year from 16-18 May 2022, Saudi Light & Sound (SLS) Expo alongside the next edition of Saudi Entertainment & Amusement Expo. Commenting on why now is the time to launch, he added “Having seen a tremendous increase of professional light & sound manufacturers exhibit in our established SEA expo we realized there was a need to launch SLS to bring the professional light & sound industry together in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has stated its ambitions of becoming one of the top-ten entertainment destinations in the world to win back a share of the US$20 billion that Saudi nationals spend on the overseas sector each year through organizing more than 5,000+ live music concerts, sporting events, themed attractions, hundreds of entertainment centers, and cinemas. ”
In the years since its inception, Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) expo has already established itself as the largest platform for international and local suppliers of entertainment & Leisure products and services to interact and do business with 5000+ key buyers who play an integral role in Saudi Arabia’s USD 64 billion emerging leisure market. The brainchild of dmg events, the event was launched in Saudi Arabia just at the right time when the Kingdom began embracing transformation. From reducing oil dependence and opening up markets to global investors and focusing on entertainment & leisure, the Kingdom is set on a new historic path of growth in line with Vision 2030. The three-day annual event allows suppliers the rare opportunity to interact face-to-face with a steady flow of engaged industry professionals. It serves as a platform to increase brand awareness, attract new clients, generate leads, and network with the industry to deliver real return on investment.

DMG Events is an international exhibitions and publishing company based out of Dubai, UAE that attracts more than 425,000 visitors to our portfolio of 84 exhibitions each year. With offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, Canada, South Africa and the UK, DMG has been achieving impressive growth in emerging and mature markets through strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses and geo-cloning flagship events. DMG nurtures professional communities for industries as diverse as construction, energy, coatings, transport, hospitality and interiors with conferences, certified workshops, technical seminars and industry publications, with the core aim of accelerating business through face-to-face events, bringing people together and creating opportunities for them to network, learn and do business. For more information about Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) Expo and Summit and Saudi Light & Saudi (SLS) Expo, please visit:www.saudientertainmentexpo.com, www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com.

※The article is published in the GTI Magazine Issue No. 203 in December 2021