Across the Middle East, exhibitions and large-scale events are increasingly reshaping how economies grow.
Once viewed primarily as platforms for visibility and networking, they are now functioning as economic infrastructure – influencing investment decisions, accelerating partnerships and helping cities compete on a global stage.
From business forums and cultural platforms to design-led showcases, the exhibitions and events sector has become embedded in national development strategies across the GCC and wider region.
Governments and private-sector players alike are investing heavily in venues, skills and year-round programming, viewing the ability to bring markets together as a strategic economic asset.
Saudi Arabia is among the most prominent examples of this shift. As part of Vision 2030, the kingdom is undertaking a major expansion of its exhibition and conference infrastructure.
By 2030, more than one million sqm of additional space is expected to be added, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to position itself as a global hub for business, culture and investment.
That expansion aligns with broader economic goals. Saudi Arabia plans to raise the cultural sector’s contribution to gross domestic product to three per cent – equivalent to 180 billion riyals ($48bn) – by 2030, up from under 1pc, according to Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan.
To organise the sector’s rapid growth, the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority has launched a global exhibition and conference season running annually from October to May.
The season clusters major international business, investment and cultural events into a defined period, improving predictability for global organisers and partners.
Recent editions have included gatherings such as Cityscape Global, the Future Investment Initiative, the Fortune Global Forum, the Global Health Exhibition and the International MICE Summit.
According to SCEGA, Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing business events markets among G20 countries, with more than 200 major international events hosted annually.
That growth has been accompanied by investment in human capital. Saudi professionals now account for nearly 20pc of Certified in Exhibition Management certificate holders globally, one of the highest proportions worldwide. The economic function of exhibitions is increasingly evident in the outcomes they generate. At the International MICE Summit in Riyadh, hosted by SCEGA, industry leaders signed 20 agreements and memorandums of understanding on the first day alone, involving companies with a combined global revenue exceeding $9bn.
Beyond Saudi Arabia, similar dynamics are shaping how exhibitions, design and culture support economic integration across the Middle East.
Shaikh Hamad bin Talal Al Thani, CEO of Qatari Diar, said design-led projects and cultural showcases increasingly function as regional economic connectors.
“Across the Middle East, design-driven investments and cultural exhibitions are becoming powerful drivers of economic growth. Today, design is not only a creative expression but an economic catalyst that attracts tourism, fuels local industries, and generates new opportunities across construction, hospitality, and the creative sectors,” he told Arab News.
Al Thani said such platforms play a broader strategic role for the region, with design and cultural showcases playing a vital role in shaping the Middle East’s global competitiveness.
“These platforms highlight the region’s ambitions, celebrate its talent, and project a modern, confident image to the world,” he added.
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