Tahaluf is a joint venture between SAFCSP, the Saudi Arabian Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones which seeks to build national and professional capabilities in the fields of cyber security and programming, and Informa, the world’s leading live and on-demand business and consumer events company.
Reinforced by the success of two award-winning events in the technology sector, including LEAP and Black Hat from the cyber security industries sector, Tahaluf will provide employment opportunities for KSA’s young population which will help to support the promotion and accelerated development of strategically important industries in KSA.
This includes the events industry which will help deliver inward investment for KSA and will provide access to new markets for international businesses.
KSA is achieving its ambitions
Driven by a vision to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on petroleum, KSA is fast tracking the development of key public service and private sectors to provide more opportunities for its people.
Also imperative for KSA is the cultivation of an events industry which will not only create new jobs for the country’s young, talented, and digitally adept population, but also across the broader creative and digital economies, from communications and branding to digital marketing and digital product development. And as a catalyst for change and digital transformation, Tahaluf will bring regional and international communities together to promote business tourism to generate an economic impact.
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. Mike Champion, regional executive vice president of Informa Markets, explains 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.
He adds, “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.”
The first events planned by Tahaluf
With a commitment towards making KSA a new global events hub leveraging the power of physical events, Tahaluf will be launching events in strategically important sectors through the course of 2023 and 2024.
Some of these launches will include the artificial intelligence-focused DeepFest from 6 to 9 February 2023; the food and hospitality event Feast from 4 to 6 November 2023; Cosmoprof Middle East and Cityscape Global from 10 to 13 September 2023, as well as CPhl Middle East from 15 to 17 January in 2024, amongst others.
The objectives for Tahaluf
With already well-established and robust relationships in the region, Informa’s flagship events in KSA include LEAP, Black Hat, and Global Health Exhibition. Expected to launch the first week of January 2023, Tahaluf experts will be comprised of Informa’s existing KSA management team with key objectives planned over the next five years to include employment of approximately two hundred people.
Moreover, the Tahaluf-run events are expected to attract around 500,000 visitors each year by 2028. Keeping events localised in KSA, Tahaluf will launch new live events and other digital experiences and digital services, whilst also helping to rapidly scale-up existing KSA events.
Partnership impacts
As Informa champion specialists and usher their brands to the region to support the growth and further development of those specialist markets and the customer communities they serve, this partnership is strategically significant for both KSA and for Informa. To support the creation of new jobs, knowledge sharing, and professional development in the region, Informa believe that the partnership and expansion will have a positive impact on the region, contribute positively to their customer offering, and help deliver the benefits of growth.
Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of SAFCSP explains, “Saudi Arabia has hosted an expanding portfolio of global events in recent years, and now, through Tahaluf, SAFCSP is investing to further 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, he says.
“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.”
Tahaluf Academy to provide hands-on training
By launching the Tahaluf joint venture with Informa, SAFCSP extends its mission to stimulate growth in KSA’s key economic sectors to now encompass the events industry. Tahaluf will leverage Informa’s global expertise to create a world-class events sector in the kingdom which will further advance economic diversification, 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, talented and digitally adept population, not just in events but also in the broader creative and digital economies, from communications and branding to digital marketing and digital product development.
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 an industry-recognised event professional accreditation programme.
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