Alex Heuff, Exhibitions Director Events Director, Cityscape
Scale of event unseen in kingdom: Heuff
Gulf Construction speaks to Alex Heuff, Exhibitions Director Events Director, Cityscape, about the brand’s inaugural event in Saudi Arabia, which will be held next month (September 10 to 13) in Riyadh.
01 August 2023
With three of the world’s largest ongoing giga projects in development and over 15 others set to be delivered in the near term in Saudi Arabia, Cityscape Global is ensuring a fantastic investment opportunity for global real estate investors and enthusiasts when it opens doors to its inaugural show in the kingdom next month, according to the brand’s Exhibitions Director.
Speaking to Gulf Construction, Alex Heuff says the organisers “are expecting an event on a scale unseen in the kingdom with record visitor numbers in excess of 180,000 people and 350 exhibitors”.
Cityscape Global will make its Saudi debut at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center from September 10 to 13 and will be about the future of living.
The show is already 95 per cent sold out despite expanding twice into new halls and marquees, he says.
“The show covers more than 60,000 sq m with every major giga and mega developer under one roof with stands ranging from 400 to1,800 sq m, allowing the audience to truly experience the vast projects off-plan and completed. Unique show features include the Vision 2030 tunnel, cultural and heritage attractions and dedicated zones for startups, fostering Saudi young talent.
The event is organised by Informa and sponsored by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing (Momrah).
Provide an overview of Cityscape Global in Riyadh and the reason for launching the brand now in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is experiencing significant change right now, economically and culturally. It is currently the most exciting real estate market globally with three of the world’s largest ongoing giga projects in development and over 15 more giga projects set to be delivered over the coming years. The market is very exciting and 2023 is now the perfect time to unite all of the giga, mega and city developers under one roof to showcase and inform both local and international visitors what they can expect in the future. Cityscape Global is all about the future of living and the cities we can expect within the kingdom. Additionally, it is our global edition and we are showcasing participants from all over the world, ensuring a fantastic investment opportunity for global real estate investors and enthusiasts.
What impact do you hope the event will have on the construction and real estate industry in Saudi Arabia?
We expect three key results from this year’s Cityscape Global. At the heart of the event, we are building a sustainable real estate industry for Saudi Arabia focused on new real estate and construction technologies being introduced, hosting international property developers to come into the kingdom and support existing developments and suppliers and targeting foreign direct investment directly into the country through carefully curated programmes to introduce institutional investors to developers and government stakeholders.
How many exhibitors and visitors do you expect at Cityscape Global in Riyadh?
We are expecting an event on a scale unseen in the kingdom with record visitor numbers in excess of 180,000 people and 350 exhibitors. The show is already 95 per cent sold out despite expanding twice into new halls and marquees.
Comment on the real estate market in Saudi Arabia, and on Riyadh in particular, and how it has evolved in recent years. How is the country’s Vision 2030 initiative impacting the construction industry?
Cityscape Global works directly with the principles of the Vision 2030 goals and ambitions and is aligned with the National Transformation Program. In doing so, Cityscape Global has become a national calling to all major developers and suppliers to showcase their projects to a global audience. Riyadh is a very exciting market with many of the largest ongoing projects set to be delivered, from Riyadh Metro to King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Diriyah Gate, King Salman Park Foundation, Roshn, National Housing Company (NHC), Misk City and Riyadh Sport Boulevard, to name a few. There are so many huge projects set to come online very soon and only expand over the next seven years to culminate in a completely transformed city by 2030. Green space, modern housing facilities, shopping malls, new entertainment districts, improved urban mobility solutions are all coming to Riyadh; the current investment in the multi-billions is impressive and the opportunities for growth future investment are even more impressive.
Highlight the key features and attractions of Cityscape Global in Riyadh that set it apart from other real estate exhibitions?
Visitors can expect an event unlike any they have ever seen. The show covers more than 60,000 sq m with every major giga and mega developer under one roof with stands ranging from 400 to 1,800 sq m, allowing the audience to truly experience the vast projects off-plan and completed. Unique show features include the Vision 2030 tunnel, cultural and heritage attractions and dedicated zones for startups, fostering Saudi young talent. Other attractions include the superb F&B offering, municipality zone, modern exhibition facilities and endless content and networking opportunities from 400-plus speakers and international experts.
What are the specific educational and networking opportunities available?
We are hosting four conferences including ‘The Future Living Summit’, a series of aspirational sessions focusing on future living; ‘The Property Portfolio Forum’, which brings together industry leaders from the retail and commercial, residential, hospitality and leisure, and industrial sectors; ‘The Real Estate Institutional Investor Forum’, a space for local and international investors to network and invest in upcoming future projects in the GCC; and ‘CityscapeWIRE (Women In Real Estate)’, a series of networking events aimed at fuelling the careers of women in real estate.
This apart, ‘The Design and Architecture’ will showcase industry trends aimed at inspiring the next generation of building and community design professionals.
How do you ensure a diverse and engaging exhibitor line-up at Cityscape Global in Riyadh?
We host both Saudi and International exhibitors. We have a strong international presence with pavilions from the UK, Turkey, Egypt and key exhibitors coming from UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan as well as Poland, Greece, Cyprus, US, Canada, Mexico, China, Korea and New Zealand. Additionally, we have organised the show floor to comprise zones for architects and designers, Proptech, municipality and developers as well as finance hubs.
Name some of the key speakers at the event.
The confirmed speakers include: Laila AlHadhrami, Managing Director, Cities & Communities Connector (C3) and Founding Board Member, World Metaverse Council; David Baxter, Senior PPP Advisor – International Sustainable Resilience Center/Steering Committee Member of the World Association of PPP Units and Practitioners; Dafna Kaplan, a futurist and design influencer and CEO, Cassette, a US-based industralised construction venture; Dave Crane, Former BBC journalist and international presenter; and Doug Stephens, Futurist, Author and Founder, Retail Prophet.
Name some major exhibitors that would be of interest to visitors.
Major exhibitors include Neom, Red Sea Global, Jeddah Central, Roshn, NHC, Royal Commission of AlUla, KAFD, King Salman Park Foundation, Al Akaria, Qatari Diyar, Berkley Group, Savills, Sotheby’s International, FEC Development, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and many more.
How do you ensure that the show attracts the largest number of decision-making visitors?
We have conducted a global multimillion-dollar marketing campaign and selected telesales teams to qualify buyers and match them with developers at the show to ensure ROI is achieved. Cityscape has an excellent track record in drawing in the right crowd and delivering value.
How will Cityscape Global in Riyadh support innovation and technological advancements in the real estate sector? Are there any specific initiatives or showcases dedicated to these areas?
The Proptech zone will be very exciting at Cityscape and will host more than 60 SMEs and start-up within the tech sector; this is where you will find the next billion-dollar start-up. We are hosting the Proptech Innovation Challenge, an international competition where we try to find the very best start-up across the key real estate disciplines that we see demand. We work in partnership with BIM Ventures to create the Venture Dome, a dynamic zone within the event for tech start-up and hackers.
What are the current trends and prospects for the real estate market in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia? How will Cityscape Global in Riyadh cater to the trends and changing needs of the industry?
Cityscape Global will be the best barometer of the country’s real estate sector, and will stage phenomenal new product launches and landmark announcements. The Saudi real estate sector is embracing investment into technology, sustainability, wellness, ecology, entertainment, hospitality, retail, community, culture, sports, healthcare, and education.
What are the opportunities for local and foreign developers in the Saudi industry?
Thanks to our close partners Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (Momrah), which is the co-organiser of Cityscape Global with Informa in Saudi Arabia, we are able to invite international developers to come and directly meet with local real estate developers who are looking for new partners to help deliver the ambitious programme set out in Vision 2030 to house 1.5 million Saudi nationals and increase home ownership from a baseline of 45 per cent in 2018 to 70 per cent ownership by 2030. To meet the demand, we are hosting special forums at Cityscape Global to help foster new partnership and agreements between local and international developers. We open our doors to all international developers to get in touch and visit the show as there are huge opportunities to partner and develop new projects within the kingdom. Our onsite education programmes and partnership with Invest Saudi will help facilitate these meetings in over 60 dedicated rooms to manage the opportunities available.
* Cityscape Global, open from 10am to 10pm, will also cover the following topics, which will have different agenda, speaker list, etc:
• September 10: Smart Cities for Tomorrow
• September 11: Digital Transformation
• September 12: Accelerating the Kingdom
• September 13: Developers Forum
