meetings, client events and corporate gatherings. Government and PIF- backed events have established major annual fixtures in investment, technology and public policy. Rapidly expanding sectors such as fintech, gaming, healthcare, energy and advanced technology are creating specialist conference communities of their own. Incentive travel is gaining another layer of demand as planners pair meetings with heritage, nature and luxury experiences in destinations such as Diriyah, AlUla and the Red Sea. Supply is rising alongside it. Saudi Arabia is adding exhibition space, conference-capable hotels and mixed-use districts, while aviation investment and visa reform are making short business trips and extensions easier to arrange. Saudi Conventions & Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA) lists Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Centre at up to 70,500sqm of event capacity, and the venue has continued to expand. Across the kingdom, large developments including Qiddiya, Diriyah, Red Sea destinations and NEOM are adding settings for executive retreats, incentives and corporate gatherings beyond the traditional convention-centre model. CAPACITY MEANS PEOPLE TOO Physical infrastructure is only half of a competitive meetings economy. Saudi Arabia is also building the professional expertise required to bid for, win and deliver international events. In January 2026, ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association) received approval to deliver its Certified International Convention Specialist programme across Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Entertainment and Event Management Academy. Training covers association meetings, destination management, bidding, marketing, operations and impact measurement. This is essential as Saudi Arabia moves from rapid market entry to repeat business. International organisers need confidence in local production, destination management, sponsorship, delegate services and venue operations. A larger pool of qualified Saudi professionals gives the sector more depth while supporting the national objective of turning business events into a durable source of tourism demand, jobs, investment and knowledge exchange.
BUSINESS EVENTS BY THE NUMBERS $1.57TN Projected global business travel spending in 2025 +8.1% Forecast growth in global business travel spending in 2026 $1.34TN Global MICE market value in 2026 $3.06TN Forecast global MICE market value by 2034 3%+ Middle East share of global corporate travel spending forecast by 2030 $3.54BN Saudi MICE market value in 2026 $5.65BN Forecast Saudi MICE market value by 2031 14.83% Forecast annual growth of Saudi incentive travel through 2031 Sources: GBTA, Fortune Business Insights, Tourism Economics/ ATM, Mordor Intelligence.
Above: In-person business is driving corporate travel growth
Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest- moving markets in that expansion. Mordor Intelligence values the Saudi MICE market at $3.22 billion in 2025 and $3.54 billion in 2026, rising to $5.65 billion by 2031 at a CAGR of 9.82%. WTM Spotlight Riyadh cites the same forecast and notes that government spending on business- event venues reached $1.3 billion across Riyadh and Jeddah in 2023 alone. The wider MENA business- events market has also been forecast to reach $100 billion by 2035. The composition of Saudi demand is especially important. Conferences accounted for 39.05% of the market in 2025, corporate participants represented 55.92%, and the incentives segment is forecast to grow at 14.83% a year through 2031. Associations and NGOs are also expected to expand at an 11.97% CAGR. The Central Region, led by Riyadh, already accounts for 42.12% of market value. Several forces are working together. Riyadh’s regional-headquarters programme is concentrating multinational decision-making in the capital, generating more internal
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