The first edition of the Saudi National Security and Risk Prevention Expo (SNSR), held in Riyadh from Nov. 4 to 6, was a big success, serving as a key platform to present Saudi Arabia as a leading innovation, knowledge development and exchange hub in the area of national and cybersecurity solutions. 

The event was held under the patronage of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, minister of interior of Saudi Arabia, and in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Interior represented by the General Directorate of Civil Defense.

The inaugural edition of SNSR Expo was held under the theme of “Shaping the future of national security and risk prevention” with the aim of forging partnerships and business collaborations between public and private sectors. Following the success, the 2nd edition of the event is already planned from Oct. 29 to 31.

On behalf of the minister of interior, the event was inaugurated by Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior. The first edition of the SNSR Expo featured more than 130 companies from 22 countries around the world with the purpose of advancing the digital transformation process and offering innovative security solutions for smart cities and projects being created as part of Saudi Vision 2030, as well as supporting a climate conducive to investment flows, strategic relationships and long-term economic partnerships.

The first edition of the SNSR Expo attracted 5,000 participants from around the world, including official delegations from high-level government agencies, senior Saudi and Emirati leaders, international companies and strategy experts. Senior officials who visited the exhibition area included Lt. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Amro, director general of the Saudi Civil Defense; Shaikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan, ambassador of the UAE to Saudi Arabia; and Jo Byung Wook, ambassador of Korea to Saudi Arabia.

Over its three days, the event facilitated partnerships, knowledge-sharing, innovation and business continuity and culminated in the signing of several memorandums of cooperation and understanding. Hundreds of business meetings between visitors, buyers and exhibitors were also conducted, as well as daily VIP tours around the event area.

In line with the joint Strategy of Resolve between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the SNSR Expo saw the signing of several bilateral agreements between Saudi companies and their Emirati counterparts aimed at enhancing joint cooperation in security industries.

Hundreds of people gathered to attend the SNSR Expo’s two forums, “Hajj Safety and Security” and “Smart Safe Cities,” which featured more than 30 sessions presented by keynote speakers and experts in the fields of national resilience, crowd management, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection.