[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Jeddawi brings food to Snapchat" size="medium" ids="13502,13496,13497,13495,13498,13499,13500"] Mariam Nihal A new international food festival that has participants posting on the social media platform Snapchat is the brainchild of a techno savvy Jeddawi- Mohammad Alaidarous. "Snap Food Festival is basically sharing cooking experience knowledge with others and helping them through Snapchat," says Alaidarous. "It is very challenging and not easy - you can cook and this is fine and great, but it is not easy to cook while snapping." The festival is all about food lovers who want to share their cooking experience. Saudi Arabia currently rates second in the world in terms of users on the instant photo-messaging app, with 9 percent of Internet users in the Kingdom using the app. The first festival was organised by a local group from the Kingdom's western region, and was quite successful, and so it led Alaidarous to create the festival's international version. "With the Snap Food Festival 2, international version, all participants live outside of Saudi Arabia, such as Saudi students from different parts of the world," he said. Alaidarous also runs an online channel, Aido Advisor, that documents food and travel experiences. Saudi Gazette caught up with the man behind the instant food festival that has become a hit with Saudis around the world. SG: How did you get into this? MA: I graduated with a masters degree in marketing strategy and consumer behavior and currently work in one of the leading telecommunication companies in Saudi Arabia. Due to my passion for what I study, and because everyone loves food and travel, I started demonstrating experiences from my daily life, especially food and cruises. SG: What is your channel about and why did you feel the need to create it? MA: It is mainly about food experiences and travel. Everyone can travel, or go eat out, but those who are searching for experiences in their journey are rare. Seeking experience means you are looking for something to keep as a memory, one of a kind. SG: What makes Aido Advisor unique? MA: Experiences, and that it's all about shared knowledge. Shared knowledge is powerful in today's world. SG: How has the response been in the Kingdom? MA: Frankly, no one could believe what happened to us: we discovered a restaurant career, developed relations with food companies, and increased the number of followers. Most important is the number of people who motivate us and participate. Some men have started entering the kitchen to cook with their wives. SG: Who are the users and what are the demographics? MA: Men and women between the ages of 21 and 55. My followers are people who seek food and travel experiences, and they are willing to do anything in order to get them. They believe in what we're doing. Often they're restaurant owners, senior managers or directors at food companies, and members of the royal family. The people who following me love what I'm doing, and I'm proud of what I do for them. I have more than 5000 followers on Snapchat, and thanks to Allah they are expanding more and more every day. SG: What are the plans for the future? MA: Our next plan is to run a third version of the Snap food festival in January, and it will be about authentic food from different parts of the Kingdom. Snapchat: aido4ever Twitter: aido4ever
