JEDDAH: In its commitment to fostering the growth and development of the emerging Saudi design community, Adhlal organized a meetup for designers at Hayy Jameel Jeddah in collaboration with Saudia airline.
The event is part of Adhlal’s broader Majlis gatherings initiative, which aims to improve relationships and knowledge among Saudi Arabia’s design community’s members in different cities.
Adhlal is a key player in fostering the continued growth of the Saudi design community and offers evidence and research-based services.
The Adhlal Majlis events provide a forum for professionals, experts and students from various design fields to interact and share knowledge, which in turn enhances Saudi Arabia’s thriving design industry.
Founder and CEO Princess Nourah Al-Faisal emphasized the importance of gaining experience for emerging talents and understanding the various stakeholders in the design ecosystem.
She told Arab News: “At Adhlal, we are trying to connect the dots between the design community, students and potential employers, facilitating early-stage connections that enable students to develop their talents and transition seamlessly into the job market.”
The collaboration with Saudia airline reflects Adhlal’s commitment to delivering the best to designers, manufacturers, government entities and professional bodies.
Khaled Tash, group chief marketing officer at Saudia, highlighted the significance of design in enhancing the customer experience.
He told Arab News: “There are endless opportunities for design to improve and enrich this customer journey, from trip preparation to the in-flight experience.”
Tash emphasized that the collaboration aims to go beyond brainstorming, with a focus on implementing the best ideas into the market. The goal is to benefit designers, Saudia as an airline and, most importantly, the customers so they can enjoy an enhanced and memorable travel experience.
“We are very keen on making sure that this is not just a brainstorming platform … we want to make sure that there is a process that takes the best of these ideas and implements them in the market so that they can actually be beneficial … for the designer, for us as an airline, but most importantly beneficial for the customers and the travelers who will have a better experience and who will in enjoy their flights better and hopefully have lasting memories from their trips,” he said.
Among the attendees was Moataz Al-Karidmi, a Saudi industrial designer and educator at Effat University.
Al-Karidmi shared his positive experience with Adhlal, highlighting the impact of the Saudi Cup competition on his life: “Winning the first prize for designing trophies for the Red Sea category opened doors for me,” he said, “Exposure for industrial and product designers is very important and that is why am attending today’s Majlis.”
Al-Karidmi praised Adhlal’s current efforts. “What Adhlal is doing now is exposing us more to the better,” he said. “So, as you can see, we’re doing Majlis all around Saudi, and that’s why I’m showing up to most of them because I want to support the community.”
