JEDDAH, 18 January 2008 — With just about a month to go for the Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF), activities related to the JEF 2008 has started gaining momentum.
One of them was the signing of an agreement between JEF and Audi on Wednesday, which makes the high-end car the diamond sponsor of the high profile event from Feb. 23-26 in which some heads of state, leaders, politicians, economists and experts will be giving keynote speeches and presentations.
Audi will not only be displaying their cars but transporting the VIP delegates as well, JEF President Sami Bahrawi told Arab News. “They will also be inviting the VIPs to try the cars at the Jeddah Raceway,” he said, adding that more than 20 sponsors are supporting the JEF 2008.
Response of delegates for online registration is growing. “Our plan for the future is to see that 80 percent of our delegate registration is done online,” he said. This time, for the first time, delegates can visit a dedicated automated machine at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) for self-registration against cash.
The JEF is being moved, for the first time, to JCCI’s own International Exhibition & Convention Center on Madinah Road. The venue, where Al-Harithy Co. for Exhibitions Ltd. has been organizing national and international trade shows for many years, is being renovated and remodeled to suit the JEF sessions. “Each session can take up to 1,200 delegates, as not all the registered delegates usually attend every session. They attend a session depending on how important and interesting it is for them,” Bahrawi said.
However, up to 4,000 delegates are expected to resister for the upcoming forum, he added. More than 900 delegates have registered themselves for the JEF so far.
“Aside from being its diamond sponsor, we are going to run a shuttle service for delegates from their points of arrival to their places of residence and to the forum venue until their departure,” Salah Z. Yamout, general manager of Saudi Arabian Marketing & Agencies Co. Ltd., Jeddah branch, said.
This is the first time Audi is sponsoring the JEF. “The importance of the JEF is important for us as high-profile national and international delegates will be converging at one place,” he said.
“Audi is essentially a high-end car for royalty and business leaders. The presence of high-profile participants has prompted us to promote the car at the event,” he said.
Audi has a wide range of cars in he luxury segment to cater for different needs, including large and small 4X4 versions. “We are annually growing between 25 to 35 percent in the Saudi market. Expansion of our service facilities across the Kingdom continues. We have a new service center coming up on Sultan Street in Jeddah. In Riyadh and Eastern province, we continue to upgrade our service facilities,” he added.