DHAHRAN: Eastern Province Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Fahd yesterday opened the prestigious Saudi Arabia International Oil and Gas Exhibition (SAOGE).
Nearly 190 top-ranking companies from the region and around the globe are taking part in the three-day exhibition organized jointly by the Rome-based International Exhibition Services (IES) and Dhahran International Expo. This is SAOGE’s fourth edition.
Prominent businessmen and diplomats were in attendance at the opening ceremony. They included British and South African ambassadors and the US Consul General Joey Hood. The response was massive and the huge hall was packed with visitors.
Speaking to Arab News, IES President Piero A. Zipoli said he was more than delighted with the response. “The fact that SAOGE 2012 has been able to attract these many companies indicates the prestige surrounding this annual event,” he said. “All these companies know full well that 80 percent of the business in the region is generated by Saudi Arabia and so they want to be here to get business for them.”
Zipoli said the booming Saudi economy is the fulcrum around which the region’s fortunes revolve. “We are happy to maintain SAOGE’s position as the sole oil and gas exhibition in the Eastern Province … We continue to deliver an essential platform for key industry professionals, specialists and decision-makers to meet, network, learn and strengthen relationships,” he said.
Zipoli and Dhahran International Exhibitions Company CEO Mohammed H. Al-Hussaini accompanied the governor and other dignitaries as they toured the large exhibition hall after the traditional ribbon-cutting inauguration. “Prince Mohammed seemed happy with the response,” said Zipoli.
Al-Hussaini urged companies in the region to make full use of the exhibition. “We are constantly improving the many services at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Center. We are engaged in getting better and better with every season,” he told Arab News.
“Saudi Arabia is where business is and it makes immense for the oil and gas companies in the region and the world to be seen and heard at these important exhibitions,” said Al-Hussaini. “Saudi Arabia holds a quarter of the world’s proven oil reserves and plays a vital role in meeting global energy.”
Al-Hussaini congratulated the 190 participating companies for making the right choice. “SAOGE is the perfect place to understand the industry’s opportunities and challenges in the Kingdom,” he said.
“The growing number of local and international exhibitors taking up more than 10,000 square meters is a clear indication to the importance of SAOGE as the leading event in the oil and gas sector in the region,” he added.
Abdulmohsen Al-Majnouni, chairman of the Saudi Arabian Section of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, was all praise for SAOGE for providing an excellent opportunity for chemical engineers and other professionals to meet fellow engineers to discuss subjects of common interest.
“SAOGE 2012 is an impressive showcase of the latest technologies, products, services and trends across the oil and gas sector, providing visitors with the knowledge they need,” said Al-Majnouni.
Among the prominent sponsors of the event are industry giants such as Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), Industrialization & Energy Services Company (TAQA), Al-Abdulkarim and Abdulla Fouad. Arab News is among the key media partners of the event.
SAOGE brings 190 oil and gas companies to EP
SAOGE brings 190 oil and gas companies to EP
Reforms target sustained growth in Saudi real estate sector, says Al-Hogail
RIYADH: The Real Estate Future Forum opened its doors for its first day at the Four Seasons Riyadh, with prominent global and local figures coming together to engage with one of the Kingdom’s most prospering sectors.
With new regulations, laws, and investments underway, 2026 is expected to be a year of momentous progress for the real estate sector in the Kingdom.
The forum opened with a video highlighting the sector’s progress in the Kingdom, during which an emphasis was placed on the forum’s ability to create global reach, representation, as well as agreements worth a cumulative $50 billion
With the Kingdom now opening up real estate ownership to foreigners, this year’s Real Estate Future Forum is placing a great deal of importance on this new milestone and its desired outcomes and impact on the market.
Aside from this year’s forum’s unique discussions surrounding those developments, it will also be the first of its kind to launch the Real Estate Excellence Award and announce its finalist during the three-day summit.
Minister of Municipalities and Housing and Chairman of the Real Estate General Authority Majed Al-Hogail took to stage to address the diverse audience on the real estate market’s achievements thus far and its milestones to come.
Of those important milestones, he underscored “real estate balance” as a key pillar of the sector’s decisions to implement regulatory tools “with the aim of constant growth which can maintain the vitality of this sector.” He pointed to examples of those regulatory measures, such as the White Land Tax.
On 2025’s progress, the minister highlighted the jump in Saudi family home ownership, which went from 47 percent in 2016 to 66 percent in 2025, keeping the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal of 70 percent by the end of the decade on track.
He said the opening of the real estate market to foreigners is an indicator of the sector’s maturity under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He said his ministry plans to build over 300,000 housing units in Riyadh over the next three years.
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Hogail elaborated on these achievements, stating: “Today, demand, especially local demand, has grown significantly. The mortgage market has reached record levels, exceeding SR900 billion ($240 billion) in mortgage financing, we are now seeing SRC (Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co.) injecting both local and foreign liquidity on a large scale, reaching more than SR54 billion”
Al-Hogail described Makkah and Madinah as unique and special points in the Kingdom’s real estate market as he spoke of the sector’s attractiveness.
“Today, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become, in international investment indices, one that takes a good share of the Middle East, and based on this, many real estate investment portfolios have begun to come in,” he said.
Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr Al-Saud told Arab News the Kingdom’s ability to balance both heritage sites with real estate is one of its strengths.
He said: “Actually the real estate market supports the whole infrastructure … the whole ecosystem goes back together in the foundation of the real estate; if we have the right infrastructure we can leverage more on tourism plus we can leverage more on the quality of life … we’re looking at 2030, this is the vision … to have the right infrastructure the time for more investors to come in real estate, entertainment, plus tourism and culture.”
