Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Seven venues are competing for the right to host the upcoming Jeddah Book Fair after Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal revealed on Sunday that a royal decree was issued to organize the event. According to Makkah on Tuesday, the Ministry of Culture and Information is expected to finalize arrangements for the fair in two weeks. The locations that may be chosen to host the fair include the Jeddah International Exhibition Center, which had hosted a number of big events including the Jeddah Economic Forum. Located in north Jeddah, the center extends over an area of 40,000 sq. meters, has a covered lounge, warehouses and a parking lot accommodating more than 1,500 vehicles. The center, however, is located in a busy area, its parking lot is small and there are ongoing development projects around it. The second is the Hilton Conference Hall. The international hotel is situated on the northern Corniche and has an area of 5,137 sq. meters. The hall can accommodate up to 3,500 people and is only a 15-minute drive from King Abdulaziz International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown. The hotel has hosted a number of big events, the latest of which was the recent energy conference attended by a number of heads of state and government. The hotel may, however, not be chosen to host the book fair because its parking lot is not spacious enough. The third is the covered hall at King Abdullah Sports City (the Jewel) that can accommodate up to 10,000 people. The stadium's parking lot can accommodate about 20,000 cars. However, it is far away from the town, not all its facilities have been completed and there are many detours on the road leading to it because of ongoing construction for the Haramain Train Project. The fourth is the Camp for Knowledge Enrichment in the east of Jeddah between the bridges of Briman and the airport. The camp currently accommodates about 1,200 people but can be expanded to accommodate more. However, it needs more funds to be prepared for the event and it lies within the area of the Haramain Train project. The fifth is the King Faisal Conference Center of King Abdulaziz University (KAU), which has an area of 25,000 sq. meters. The exhibition area of the center may be considered too small for the event and as it is situated inside the university it is always crowded with students. The sixth is the soccer field of KAU that can accommodate about 7,500 people and has a parking lot for 1,000 cars only. The field is difficult to access as it is situated inside the university and its car parking area is too small. The seventh is the Youth Welfare Hall at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Football Stadium. The hall can only accommodate up to 5,000 people and is not easily accessible. The construction work around it may also be an impeding factor.
