JEDDAH: The Jeddah Economic Forum’s (JEF) move from the Jeddah Exhibition Center on Madinah Road back to its original venue, the Hilton Hotel, has caused some surprise, not least because the organizers, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), own the Madinah Road facility.
Moving to the Hilton will inevitably incur extra costs. But there is also surprise because of persistent rumors that the event moved to the exhibition center three years ago following a dispute over previous unpaid bills at the Hilton.
Both the Hilton and the current exhibition managers, Gulf Research Center, declined to comment on the reasons, adding grist to the rumor mill.
Security is seen as a major reason. “American delegates refused to come unless the forum and accommodation were under the same roof,” explained a source that did not want to go on the record.
Certainly it was difficult to maintain high security at the Madinah Road exhibition center with its layout, low perimeter fence and huge open spaces. The Hilton, in contrast, has installed new security measures at its main entry point.
Past attendees to the JEF included the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, former Polish President Lech Walesa, former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and NATO’s former Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark.
