Oraij, Chairman of World Luxury Group, a specialist in exhibitions and conferences industry, affirmed that the Royal Decree issued recently on the establishment of the General Organization for Exhibitions and Conferences in Saudi Arabia is a real transformation in the industry. Enabling Saudi Arabia to take its place as a global and local tourism destination in the region by taking advantage of the three pillars of Saudi Arabia's 2030 Vision of the Arab, Islamic and investment depth. "The shift in the general sense also means professionalism in performance and change of mentality, because it will be a key factor in attracting foreign and local investors specializing in this industry," said Al-Oraij. It will also inspire confidence in the Saudi market and encourage foreign investors to enter the industry, who will share their ideas, investments and expertise in various fields. This will create positive competitiveness for local investors and contribute to local content growth in the industry, noting the volume of business exchange (B2B) which was a good reason in the past to participate in external events. At the community level, Al-Oraij stressed there is a clear and real impact that will be achieved by the momentum that accompanies the exhibitions, conferences and events of the mega-development in the awareness of the community and the knowledge gained from the attendance in the events, in addition to the development of the industry as a magnet that will be integrated with other sectors associated with them – tourism and entertainment – thereby increasing the demand for marketing the national heritage, supporting the Haj and Umrah sector and religious shrines, and raising occupancy rates in the hospitality, logistics and transport sector. Al-Oraij pointed out that the transformation is also a rapid movement to keep pace with the development required to ensure the Kingdom will take its rightful place in this sector. Moreover, he stressed that the real transformation will be achieved only through concerted efforts and coordination in planning by various governmental bodies in general, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which would hopefully be a major and effective part of this transformation. It would be unreasonable for the transformation to take place without a change in procedures to facilitate the issuance of visas and to facilitate the entry of models of supply and goods through temporary clearing of supply materials and security survey and approvals of participants and speakers in conferences and events. The synergy in all these components will undoubtedly enable the new body to play its role in the development of this highly reliable industry in the foreseeable future because the Kingdom is the land of opportunity attracting investors around the world. — SG
