Saudi Light and Sound Expo

As the live events industry descends on Riyadh for SLS Expo, TPiMEA’s Justin Gawne reports from the tradeshow floor…

The Middle East’s live events industry is going through a transformation. With shows traditionally being held within the UAE –particularly Dubai – the emergence of Saudi Arabia is changing the landscape completely.

Th e country is aiming to transition from its oilbased economy into a more mixed offering, with tourism and entertainment a particular focus. With huge infrastructure projects like NEOM and Qiddiya being built, offering completely new destinations within the country for both native Saudis and overseas tourists to visit, this has created a whole new market and need for products and services within the Middle East.

Aiming to act as the conduit for suppliers, DMG Events in Dubai launched the Saudi Entertainment & Amusement Expo, aimed at the theme park market, and in 2022, the co-located Saudi Light & Sound Expo also launched.

In its second iteration this May, SLS Expo showed some remarkable growth, with 59 exhibitors on the show floor, which was a net floor space increase of 110% on last year. The exhibitors were a varied mix of local and international distributors, rental companies and a few manufacturers. Visitor numbers saw a year- on-year increase of 57% with a total attendance of 4,693 excluding exhibitors. The attendees included 28% from outside of the KSA – and it certainly felt like the UAE’s live events industry had decamped to Riyadh for the show.

The programme included a full conference schedule running on the show floor, with talks on all aspects of the industry. Notable speakers included Koert Vermeulen of ACT Lighting Design; Mark Reeves of Six Flags, Qiddiya; and Mark Jan Kar from the Coca Cola Arena. The final session of the conference, Soundstorm: A KSA Case Study, led to the aisles being blocked by attendees as Michael Jobson of MDLBEAST and Matt Richman of productionglue talked through the staging of the premier Saudi festival.

Next year’s show will be moving to The Riyadh Front Centre – a larger exhibition hall which, based on this year’s growth, will certainly be required. Judging by the number of overseas manufacturers visiting this year, it’s a guarantee they will start booking floor space to capitalise on this nascent market. Make sure to save the dates 7-9 May, 2024.

Photos: TPiMEA www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com