Saudi Arabia’s announcement to invest $64 billion into developing its entertainment industry over the next decade as part of Vision 2030 has energized the sector as the Kingdom follows its planned social and economic reform programs spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In line with the Kingdom’s zealous plans, dmg events launched the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) expo in April 2019 in Jeddah and interest in the event has almost doubled in size this year with the event due to be held from Feb. 3 to 5 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Nathan Waugh, portfolio director at dmg events, said that dmg events got SEA out to the market at a time when the entertainment and leisure sector in Saudi Arabia is blossoming with the aim to make the country a leisure destination not just locally but globally. “From a start of practically zero, there are things like cinemas booming across the country, concerts, sporting events and other entertainment complexes, so the focus is there on getting the big banner attractions. Relaxing social rules, especially for women, and encouraging entertainment and leisure activities is helping hugely, moving the country toward modernization. All this puts us in a great position to bring international businesses that are looking at Saudi Arabia as a new and thriving market.”
Ready for its second edition, SEA expo has achieved 75 percent growth overall and the number of exhibitors has increased by 30 percent. The reach for exhibitors is global, with companies from the US and peaked interest from Europe, particularly from Italy. There’s also a delegation from the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry taking part along with two other international pavilions. In total there are exhibitors from 23 different countries. A growing list of exhibitors including Whitewater, Ropes Courses Inc., Polin, Warehouse of Games, Amusement Services International, Embed, IdeAttack, Vivaticket and Vortex is expected to increase visitor numbers this year from last year’s 4,000 plus.
