meetings: Let's get together
Let's get together
World-class facilities
Strategically located in the three main business hubs of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, Saudi Arabia's main international exhibition and convention venues ensure that worldclass facilities are available to all business sectors.
The Kingdom's largest venues, the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events and the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, provide facilities on a par with any other modern city.
There are also government conference centres, such as Qassim Provincial Headquarters and the King Faisal Hall, which are occasionally opened to the commercial market, along with university buildings with dedicated meetings facilities.
Qassim University is just one of many venues with plans for expansion. The academic facility has plans in place to build a major conference centre. This development will include a 2,500-seat auditorium and 5,000 square metres of exhibition space. It will provide considerable ancillary facilities and be a centrepiece for the university campus.
Western welcome
Saudi Arabia's west coast, which sits along the Red Sea, is undergoing tremendous growth as mixed-use developments, new hotels and new city projects begin to take shape.
It is envisaged that the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) being developed on the western coast will include meetings and conference facilities, although no plans have been confirmed.
Being built near al-Rabegh industrial city, north to Jeddah, KAEC will extend 35 kilometres along the coastline. The city will also include petrochemical, pharmaceutical, tourism, finance, and education and research areas.
The Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events, which opened in 1990, offers services to the highest international standards. It was established, developed and is owned by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI).
This modern exhibition complex is conveniently located just minutes from Jeddah's main business centre, banks, government offices, shopping malls and major hotels. The centre boasts an 8,000 square metre lounge area and parking for more than 1,500 cars.
The centre can supply exhibitors with wireless internet, electricity and water, free coffee and access to a business centre, complete with fax machines, printers, computers, phones and photocopier.
This exhibition centre was the first to be built in Saudi Arabia. With Jeddah being the Kingdom's commercial centre, the location remains ideal.
The Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd (ACE) operates out of the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events. ACE was the first company in the Kingdom to specialise in organising exhibitions.
Following an invitation from the JCCI, ACE established its headquarters within the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events. In recent years, ACE outlined plans to extend the number of exhibitions and events held at the centre. The first phase resulted in seminars and workshops being added to many of the shows under the JCCI umbrella and other official bodies.
Over the years ACE has continuously added exhibitions to its programme in line with market demands and introduced a wide variety of innovations to enhance the visitor experience, such as interactive features and audience participation. Most recently JCCI built a media facility at the centre to promote media coverage of its events.
In Jeddah there are also hotels that cater to smaller sized meetings events including the Rosewood Corniche, Park Hyatt, and the Jeddah Hilton.
Beautiful landscapes of the Red Sea complement each meeting space in the Rosewood Corniche, creating a serene environment in which to conduct business. Each boardroom has the latest technology including video conferencing, DVD, audio video, high-speed internet access, a meeting butler, plasma-screen projection and the latest ergonomic furniture. Similarly Jeddah Park Hyatt Hotel offers 142 residential rooms, nine meeting rooms, two board rooms and two exhibition areas over 1,450 square metres.
The 388-room Jeddah Hilton offers 40,000 sq ft of exhibition space across a ballroom, boardroom, 10 meeting rooms for 10 to 50 people and pool terrace.
Al Furusya Marina & Yacht Club is another venue that hosts events, such as leisure marine tourism festival The Saudi International Boat Show. The event showcases luxury boats, marine equipment, supplies and services.
Eastern access
In the eastern province of Saudi Arabia is the Dhahran International Exhibition Centre (DIEC), which is located near Dammam. The centre is an hour's drive from Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar and a 30-45 minute flight from the UAE, making it suitable for intra-regional meetings.
The eastern province is an economic hub, being home to state-owned national oil company ARAMCO, one of the pioneering businesses of modern-day Saudi Arabia. The DIEC is well connected to regional decision makers on both the private and public sector levels.
Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre is built-up over a plot area of 300,000 square metres with a total site area of 90,000 square metres. It has two inside covered areas totalling 7,500 square metres and two outside areas; one 1,200 square metre covered area and one 12,300 square metre area, which can both be used for outdoor exhibits.
This facility can accommodate extra large exhibits with its 60-metre high ceilings in each of its two exhibition halls, giving a column-free exhibition area that is flexible for large-scale events.
Furthermore, the centre has catering facilities and a cafeteria, an information desk and security, wireless internet connections, ATM services, as well as first aid and emergency assistance. DIEC can even provide photographers and cameramen.
In Dammam, Le M.ridien Al Khobar is another ideal venue for seminars and meetings, offering two ballrooms and breakout rooms that can accommodate 10 to 450 delegates. This hotel also offers a well-equipped business centre, and the Dhahran Exhibition Centre is just 15 minutes away.
Capital facilities
The Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, which is owned and run by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce & Industry, is another world-class exhibition complex.
The government had been considering the construction of a new exhibition centre in the Saudi capital of Riyadh to replace an existing structure since 1994. The long-stalled plans were revived in 2002 when construction tenders went out.
Today, the centre consists of four halls offering 15,000 square metres of indoor exhibition space in addition to a 5,000-square-metre outdoor area. It also has a 1,100- seat auditorium, together with ancillary facilities, ample car parking with a capacity of 1,500 cars and buses, a conference hall, support services, a VIP reception lounge, business and press centres, restaurants and cafeterias, and an organiser's office.
The facility can provide 10,000 square metres of airconditioned exhibition space and the venue can accommodate up to 10,000 people.
The Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC) bases its operations out of the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre. REC organises a mix of annual and biennial events, the majority of which are international. The company arranges events for customers from Europe, US, Brazil, and China, as well as other global markets.
Alagat is another exhibition organiser based in Riyadh. The company organises events for a broad range of industries, including tourism and gold and silver.
Also in Riyadh is the King Abdulaziz Historical Centre, which is a modern, well fitted out building with a fixed-seat auditorium. This US$250 million museum complex was built over the old King Abdulaziz quarter, or old town, and it opened its doors in 2003.
The centre was built around the historic Fort Masmak, which is where Riyadh is said to have been recaptured in 1902 by Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first monarch of Saudi Arabia. Using photographs, artefacts, video material and theatres in an interactive and vibrant display, the museum traces Saudi Arabia's history and celebrates the life of King Abdul Aziz. The complex includes the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, the Darat Al Malik Museum, a library, auditorium, mosque and King Abdulaziz's Murabba Palace and Gardens.
Along with the cultural facilities there is the King Abdulaziz conference room, which is used for international conferences and exhibitions. There are plans in place to expand the centre further, between the south faЌade and the Ruler's Palace.
Also in Riyadh is the King Faisal Hall for Conferences, which is well equipped with interpreting equipment, audio visual equipment and display screens.
The King Faisal Hall for Conferences comprises a main hall for 885 individuals and a round hall for 189 individuals in addition to five seminar and workshop rooms. There are also internet facilities, a large lobby and a well-equipped press centre.
In terms of hotels, the Al Faisaliah Banquet & Conference Centre at the Al Faisaliah Hotel is a combination of the highest in technology, spectacular design and unprecedented sophistication. It boasts approximately 6,300 square metres of meeting space and is ideal for large-scale exhibitions, international conferences, elaborate weddings and executive meetings.
The state-of-the-art facilities offer superior A/V tools including high-speed internet access and satellite conferencing. There are several meeting rooms for small delegations and the ballroom is suitable for large conventions. The ballroom and foyers span a combined area of almost 5,500 square metres. Up to 750 diners at round tables can be accommodated in the ball room, which also doubles up as grand reception area to the banquet hall and overflow space. For more intimate dinners, the ballroom can be divided into two sections.
The Prince Sultan's Grand Hall is the largest column-free public space in the Kingdom and offers uninterrupted views from anywhere in the auditorium. The 4,640 square metre hall has a capacity for 4,000 delegates in conference- style seating and banquets for 3,300 diners seated at round tables. It can be divided into 16 separate dining or meeting rooms that carry the latest sound, projection and communication systems, enabling international satellite link-up for conference proceedings.
Al Faisaliah Banquet & Conference Centre hosted the inaugural Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market (STTIM) in March 2008. Riyadh will once again host STTIM this year, taking place from March 27-31.
The Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh also boasts outstanding meeting and conference facilities for up to 4,500 guests. The hotel's 4,765 square-metre function area includes the opulent Kingdom Ballroom, a spacious venue with 10.5 metre high walls and its own private entrance, which can be divided into four separate salons.
Private events, all-day executive meetings and dinners for up to 10 people can be held in the hotel's three boardrooms. There is also a Conference Garden for al fresco receptions that cater for a maximum 150 people. Each indoor meeting space carries the latest audiovisual equipment, including LCD projectors, plasma TVs, broadband and wireless internet and teleconference facilities.
With a thriving economy Saudi Arabia is actively embracing the meetings industry and over time its venue offerings are set to grow substantially. Today there are three main centres for the large meetings groups but their strategic locations ensure that all significant areas of Saudi Arabia's economy and development can be addressed.
