RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans to be a center for world-class sports infrastructure and recreation spaces are gaining momentum, with more than $2 billion in committed investments and a projected $5.9 billion in sports sector revenue by 2030.
With major international events, including the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, Asian Winter Games in NEOM’s Trojena in 2029, Riyadh Expo 2030, FIFA World Cup 2034 and the Asian Games in Riyadh in 2034 on the horizon, the Kingdom is accelerating development as part of Vision 2030.
Aligned with this ambition, the inaugural FSB Sports Show Riyadh — organized by DMG Events and Koelnmesse — welcomed thousands of industry leaders and professionals this week at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Rob Hetherington, group business development director at Gebal Group, which was among the exhibitors, said: “Saudi is our most important market that we are focusing on right now.
“We have been working in Saudi for five years now and have already developed over 40 to 50 outdoor spaces. So we have got a team that’s growing into double figures. Our company has 400-plus people and we are going to rapidly grow into the Saudi market.”
