The NEC has signed the agreement with British company Informa Group Plc to establish “Informa Saudi Arabia.” “Our partnership with Informa will help to develop the events industry in Saudi Arabia further,” said Hussain Al-Harithy, co-owner of the NEC, during a press conference on Wednesday at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center. “Supported by our local knowledge, this is a first class arrangement for the country. The formation of Informa Saudi Arabia, a company registered and based in the Kingdom, is a great illustration of the commitment that Informa has toward a long-term sustainable contribution to Saudi business,” he added.

Abdullah Marie Bin Mahfouz, board member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) and head of its Center for Forums and Events, welcomed the agreement saying it is in line with the instruction of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal to make Jeddah a center for international forums, conventions and exhibitions. He added that the JCCI is striving in its new year to increase the numbers of exhibitions that take place at the Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Center from 16 exhibitions to 30.

He added that last year saw a sudden halt in the number of exhibitions, something that led many companies and Saudis to travel abroad to attend conferences, including Middle East countries.

He also said the agreement with one of the UK’s largest exhibition’s company will lead to global experts and organizations strengthening the Kingdom’s exhibition sector. Negotiations are currently in the final stages for offices in Jeddah to be operational by mid-March. “Initially, the office will consist of a focus team, but we will be looking for significant growth over the next three years,” said Peter Rigby, chief executive officer of Informa.

Events that the new entity will initially organize in the Kingdom include Cityscape Jeddah and Cityscape Riyadh with more large-scale events planned in different sectors over the next 18 months. In addition to internationally recognized event brands being launched in the Kingdom, Informa Saudi Arabia will also develop events organically, based on the unique local market dynamics in various sectors.

Speaking about Saudi Arabia, Rigby said the Kingdom is an incredibly important market for Informa’s global growth strategy. “We are currently working on a number of ventures aimed at bringing more world class events to the Kingdom. The Saudi government has made commendable strides in the area of foreign investment and business activity and the timing is right for Informa to establish itself in this burgeoning market,” he added.

Rohan Marwaha, managing director of Informa Saudi Arabia, said the time was now right for the company’s expansion in the Kingdom. “Saudi Arabia has always been an important market for many companies in the region and with public and private sectors increasingly following a diversified growth strategy, there is no better time to support this growth through the organization of world class business events in different high growth industries.

“With the resolute support and partnership from the National Exhibitions Company, a prominent local events company, we expect to couple our industry expertise with this unrivaled local knowledge,” he added.

The press conference on Wednesday was also attended by Deep Marwaha, general manager of Informa Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed Al-Kassim, general manager of the National Exhibition Company.