RIYADH — The first-ever International MICE Summit (IMS24) gathered over 1,600 global industry leaders from the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry in December. Hosted by the Saudi Conventions & Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA), it was held in Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City (MISK) in Riyadh.
The summit marked a significant milestone for the industry, with 12 major events announced for launch in 2025. Leading organizations like RX, Messe Munich, and Clarion revealed plans to establish offices in Saudi Arabia, signaling the region’s growing prominence in the MICE landscape and trade show industry.
Confirmed events for 2025 include:
- Money20/20 (Informa/Tahaluf)
- FIBO (RX Global)
- World Refining Technology Congress
- Advanced Therapies Week
- Fire Department and Emergency Services Conference (Clarion)
- FSB Sports Show and International Hardware Show (Koelnmesse/DMG)
- HOST (Fiera Milano)
- Arablab (Terrapin)
- Saudi Muscle Show (Italian Exhibition Group)
- World Industrial Materials and World Advanced Packaging, Printing & Plastics (KAOUN)
IMS24 Just The Beginning
“We will build on the momentum of this event, working with our partners in government and the private sector to ensure we have the right infrastructure, world-class human capital and a dynamic ecosystem to both meet our ambitions and enable the growth of the global MICE industry,” Chairman of SCEGA, His Excellency Fahd Al Rasheed said in a statement.
Related. Informa and SAFCSP Launch Tahaluf as Saudi Arabia Focuses on Global Events
Event professionals from 73 countries attended IMS24, including Jochen Witt, President and CEO of jwc GmbH. Not only did Witt attend the Summit but he was also a speaker.
Witt commented how impressive it was that the summit was organized in three months. He anticipates the exhibition industry will grow in Saudi Arabia by at least 10% annually in the coming years, assuming adequate venue capacity is available.
Upcoming global events like the World Expo and the FIFA World Cup are expected to drive significant capacity expansions, said Witt.
“Exhibitions and conferences are poised to thrive in KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] in the coming years. While there are still some to-dos for the country, with the World Expo and the Football World Cup on the horizon, I’m confident the governments will act decisively and implement the necessary measures in due course,” said Witt. “The pace of change in KSA is remarkable. We’ve been working there for four years, and every time I visit, it feels like the landscape has shifted yet again. In terms of market size, China will remain Asia’s largest, but KSA’s growth rates are set to outpace most countries globally.”
Reach Faisal Al-Khamisi at info@safcsp.org.sa; Jochen Witt at jwitt@jwc.eu.com
