The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) and global exhibition organiser Informa have announced the creation of Tahaluf, a joint venture designed to launch exhibition brands in Saudi Arabia.
The new joint venture aims to create professional career opportunities for Saudis in events and related industries and the partnership will launch a series of large-scale events in 2023 and 2024 to serve key verticals in Saudi Arabia, including Tech, AI, Food, Pharma, Beauty, Real Estate and Healthcare.
The move sees SAFCSP extend its mission to stimulate growth in the Kingdom’s key economic sectors to now encompass the events industry. Tahaluf hopes to leverage Informa’s global expertise to create a world class events sector in the Kingdom to provide access to new markets for international businesses, attract foreign investment and support modernisation of business activity in the Kingdom.
Tahaluf will also support the creation of new career paths for the Kingdom’s young and digitally adept population.The Tahaluf Academy will provide an annual cohort of young Saudi professionals the opportunity to gain hands-on training and international events experience through a series of rotations across the global Informa business, and further benefit from industry-recognised event professional accreditation programmes.
The Tahaluf joint venture builds on the successful collaboration between SAFCSP and Informa which launched the tech event LEAP (www.onegiantleap.com) in 2022, co-organised with the Ministry of Communications and the IT sector, and cyber brand, Black Hat (www.blackhatmea.com), co-organised with the General Entertainment Authority and part of Riyadh Season.
Tahaluf will license Informa’s market-leading brands to new B2B events, digital experiences and services in 2023 and beyond, initially focused on strategically important sectors such as technology, real estate, pharmaceuticals, food, health and beauty, tourism and hospitality.
Tahaluf’s new launches will include the artificial intelligence event DeepFest (www.deepfest.com) 6-9 February 2023; food and hospitality show, Feast (www.Onegiantfeast.com) 24–26 October 2023; beauty industry festival Cosmoprof Middle East; international real estate show Cityscape Global (www.cityscapeglobal.com) 10-13 September 2023 and the Middle East edition of the leading pharma brand, CPHI Middle East (www.cphi.com) 15-17 January 2024.
Mike Champion, regional executive vice-president of Informa Markets, commented that Tahaluf’s ambition is to focus the power and value of international events to support the growth of strategically important industries within Saudi Arabia.
“Major events can deliver significant economic stimulus by providing market access, driving inbound investment and generating international trade. We are honoured to have extended our partnership with SAFCSP to create Tahaluf, and together we aim to create world class, sustainable events in Saudi Arabia that will be an international showcase for key sectors of the Saudi economy, as well as contributing to a thriving events industry in the Kingdom. It is our mission to bring world class events to the Kingdom and to be a positive force in making Saudi Arabia a global hub for events,” said Champion.
Faisal Al-Khamisi, chairman of SAFCSP said: “Saudi Arabia has hosted an expanding portfolio of global events in recent years, and now, through Tahaluf, SAFCSP is investing to elevate the Saudi events industry and related creative and digital sectors. Tahaluf will be a significant contribution to SAFCSP’s mission of supporting skills development and creating career opportunities for Saudi youth in dynamic, professional sectors, and will also contribute to the overall diversification and modernisation of key industries in Saudi Arabia.
“Informa has played a leading role in the events industry internationally, including pioneering digital, on-demand and data-driven experiences, and leading sustainability initiatives across the sector. This expertise has helped to launch successful events together in the past and will be invaluable in delivering the ambitious plans announced today. Tahaluf – the Arabic word for ‘Alliance’, reflects the strength of the partnership between SAFCSP and Informa, and our plans to work closely together in this next stage of developing world-class events for Saudi Arabia.”
SAFCSP is a national institution in Saudi Arabia that is focused on empowering the local workforce and enhancing capabilities in the fields of cybersecurity, software development, drones and other advanced technologies.
SAFCSP and Informa have an ongoing collaboration in successfully hosting the BlackHat Middle East, now into its third edition, and leading technology event LEAP.
