RIYADH: The third annual Athar Festival, a major gathering for the creative marketing industry in Saudi Arabia, will take place at Riyadh’s JAX District from Oct. 21-22.

The two-day event, hosted by communications consultancy TRACCS and UAE-based Motivate Media Group, is expected to attract around 3,000 visitors and feature 150 speakers, concluding with the Athar Awards across more than 30 categories.

Mohamed Al-Ayed, vice chairman of the Athar Festival and CEO of TRACCS, told Arab News: “I believe that (by) today, in the third edition, there has been a very strong maturity of the creative industry of Saudi Arabia, as an industry to be recognized and looked at.

“As an event it is the premier and most sought-after creative event in Saudi Arabia, and most probably the biggest in the region. We have set our sights high, given how Saudi Arabia is transforming and growing in leaps and bounds. Where impact is the new language, we want to transform Athar Festival into one of the top five creative destinations in the world.”

Al-Ayed said that this year’s festival boasted more speakers and a larger venue, adding: “Last year our venue was 2,000 sq. meters; this year it is more than 6,000. Last year we had 100 speakers; this year 150, of which more than 40 percent are international.”

Ian Fairservice, chairman of Athar Festival and managing partner of Motivate Media Group, told Arab News: “If I’m looking at impact — which is, after all, what athar means — the impact is the spread of knowledge, which means the spread of interest in creativity in Saudi Arabia over a three-year period.”

The festival’s speakers include British perfumer Jo Malone, founder of Jo Loves; Essam Akhonbay, vice president of marketing at Saudia; and Abeer Alessa, co-founder and CEO of The Bold Group.

Running for 12 hours daily, the festival will use five stages. The strategic and spotlight stages will feature panels and keynotes, while the Saudi Gamer Arena will highlight gaming and esports. The community stage hosts sessions, masterclasses, and workshops, and the courtyard stage live music, wellness activities, and comedy.

Fairservice said: “The attendance is not limited to any particular industry. People looking for a career change are most welcome, and I can’t think of a better place for them to meet others and see whether this is the industry they would like to be part of.”

The festival has added new hubs, including the Talent Hub, Ruwad Hub for entrepreneurs, and Saudi Gamer Arena, along with other areas ideal for networking.

Specialized programs at the event will include CEO and CMO roundtables, CMO academies, and the Maheerah Program, a mentorship initiative for women in Saudi Arabia’s marketing communications sector.

This year’s lineup includes more than 80 sponsors and partners, including MBC Media Solutions as growth partner and Flynas as official airline partner. Other organizations involved include the Saudi Tourism Authority, Amazon Ads, Bloomberg Media, Omnicom Group, WPP, and the King Salman Park Foundation.

Al-Ayed said: “The prominence of creativity has now become very important in the business sector. But what I’ll say is that maybe creativity needs a home, a platform, and we believe that Athar is the platform, or one of the platforms, for Saudi creativity.”