What could possibly bring together a makeup artist, a calligrapher, a graphic designer, a painter, a photographer, a writer, a fashion designer, a chef, a sculptor and a perfumer under one roof for three consecutive days in Jeddah?

Rahala could.

Rahala, which means “Traveler” in Arabic, is the name behind the youth showcase launched this year in Jeddah by a group of Saudi women to eradicate unemployment and support Saudi youth. Consider it a combination of arts exhibition and job fair.

Earlier this month, 150 booths filled the Jeddah International Exhibitions Center with designs, photographs, fashion, scents, animations, sculptures and short stories.

“Rahalah is working on creating a network of people stretching from amateur hobbyists to industry owners and decision-makers,” said Amal Al-Jabreen, the general manger of the exhibition. He added that the main mission of the event is to develop a flexible marketing formula that can turn each hobby into a profession and each profession into an industry.

In a cozy quiet booth, a shy 14-year-old Haneen Kamal stood proudly beside her writings hung on the wall behind her.

“I mainly write about love,” she said. “Many people liked my writing very much. One grown up lady insisted that I give her copies.”

Exhibitors are not only from Jeddah. The well-known Eastern Province photographer Mashael Al-Khashrami said that as a professional photographer the showcase offered her more than meeting up with businessmen.

“It offered all of us participants the chance of meeting up other artists whether in photography or all other arts,” she said. “It’s very crucial for all of us to meet and exchange ideas. I’ve never participated in such a gathering before and I’m so thankful to the organizers.”

Young graphic designer Zainab Al-Khayat, a math graduate, said that she has fallen in love with visual art instead of numbers.

“Rahala gave me the opportunity to meet up with businessmen interested in my graphics. They expressed their admiration and took my contacts,” she said. “I really want to have a professional graphic designing career.”

This year the exhibition was in honor of Saudi Arabia’s central Najd region. Artists were invited to participate in an art contest by submitting works inspired by the Najd.

The contest, entitled the Bandar Al-Jibreen Award for Achievement, is named after Al-Jibreen’s late father.

Sarah Badi, a graduate of King Abdul Aziz University, won the first prize of SR75,000 and the golden compass award for her picture of a young girl wearing a Najdi head scarf. A collage of tiny images of the Najd region’s most famous native son, King Abdul Aziz, was used to form the girl’s picture.

The SR50,000 second place prize and the silver compass award went to Majid Fakhri, a young Saudi architect who has developed a new type of Arabic calligraphy. Fakhri painted the phrase “In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” with his calligraphy on a glass compass.

The SR25,000 third place prize and the bronze compass went to the Jeddah Autism Center which presented a canvas decorated with Najdi silver jewelry.

Future exhibitions will each be dedicated to a different part of the Kingdom.

After completing five years covering all of the Kingdom’s regions, Rahala is expected to take the exhibition on a worldwide tour.

“We are trying to contribute in a global way,” said Al-Jibreen. “We are also looking at exporting peace through art.”