Saudi Arabia's announcement to invest $64 billion into developing its entertainment industry over the next decade as part of Vision 2030 has energized the sector as the Kingdom follows its planned social and economic reform programs spearheaded by the Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. In line with the Kingdom's zealous plans, dmg events successfully launched the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) expo in April 2019 in Jeddah and interest in the event has almost doubled in size this year with the event due to be held from Feb. 3-5 at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. Nathan Waugh, portfolio director at dmg events, explained that dmg events got SEA out to the market at a time where the entertainment and leisure sector in Saudi Arabia is blossoming with the aim to make the country a leisure destination not just locally but globally. "From a start of practically zero, there are things like cinemas booming across the country, concerts, sporting events and other entertainment complexes, so the focus is there on getting the big banner attractions. "Relaxing social rules, especially for women, and encouraging entertainment & leisure activities is helping hugely, moving the country towards modernisation. All this puts us in a great position to bring international businesses that are looking at Saudi Arabia as a new and thriving market." Ready for its second edition, Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) expo has in fact, achieved 75 percent growth overall and the number of exhibitors has increased by 30 percent. The reach for exhibitors is global, with companies from the US and peaked interest from Europe, particularly from Italy. There's also a delegation from the UK's Department of Trade and Industry taking part along with two other international pavilions. In total there are exhibitors from 23 different countries. A growing list of influential exhibitors including Whitewater, Ropes Courses Inc, Polin, Warehouse of Games, Amusement Services International, Embed, IDEATTACK, Vivaticket and Vortex is sure to increase visitor numbers this year from last year's 4000 plus. As far as visitors are concerned, SEA expo is exclusively dedicated to trade professionals in the entertainment & leisure business in Saudi. Owners, investors or operators of entertainment businesses, or companies that have requirements related to this sector or want to venture into this sector are welcome to attend the event. These visitors will have access to the best products the global markets have to offer. Whether it is games & devices, rides, security equipment, lighting and stage equipment, equipment for theme parks or kids play equipment, the event offers the perfect opportunity to source good quality products, some probably never-seen-before in Saudi, for their projects. Apart from the great line up of brands and products, one of the highlight features of the event is a conference program called the SEA Summit. The SEA Summit will be hosted over two days by developers and consultants speaking on market projects and challenges that businesses could face in the country. These sessions will be accredited by the CPD certification service, so that attendees can come away from the education programme with something tangible and credible, to help expedite their professional development. Participating companies at the SEA summit include LDP, Diriyah Gate, Kids Space, Hill International Inc., Stamina Productions, All Entertainment Group and CBRE among others. — SG
