SAUDI ARABIA
The Special Projects Team
Global ’ s 20,000- capacity Jeddah Arena Airport City , due to open in December 2025 ; and KSA ’ s first opera house – The Jeddah Opera House – designed by Buro Happold .
Around 90 % of the KSA entertainment business is understood to be government-underwritten by its Public Investment Fund ( PIF ). Among the many PIF-owned events companies is Sela , which is heavily involved in event production and management , while also owning and / or manage key facilities including retail , hospitality and entertainment districts VIA Riyadh , Boulevard City and Boulevard World , along with multi-purpose event venues such as the 40,000-capacity Jeddah Superdome .
Promoting success There is no shortage of promoters in KSA helping to fan the flames of the huge explosion in live entertainment . Live Nation ( LN ), the world ’ s biggest promoter , has not been slow to get involved .
In April 2020 , PIF acquired a 5.7 % stake in LN , which at the time was valued at around $ 500 million (£ 382m ), making PIF LN ’ s third-largest shareholder .
Established in 2009 , Live Nation Middle East is overseen by regional president James Craven who presides over the company ’ s extensive activities in the region including Saudi Arabia where its Live Nation Arabia arm recently secured a three-year deal with PIF-owned AlUla Development Company to operate Maraya . Maraya , meaning ‘ mirror ’ in Arabic , is a multi-purpose venue in AlUla that has already attracted major international acts including Mariah Carey , John Legend , Andrea Bocelli and Usher .
“ This venue is truly unique and I would encourage everyone to visit AlUla and experience its beauty first-hand ,” says Craven .
Event operator Ethara , which means ‘ thrill ’ in Arabic , was born out of the merging of established Middle East live events operations Flash Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management in May last year . The company now operates venues throughout the Middle East and promotes events including the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Yasalam After-Race Concerts .
Ethara opened an office in Riyadh in 2022 , which houses a team focused on building a year-round events calendar involving international and regional acts . Last year , it partnered with global venue operator Oak View Group ( OVG ) and its Rhubarb Hospitality Collection arm to provide hospitality services at venues across the Middle East including the KSA .
John Wilson
“ WE HAVE GREATER FREEDOM TO PRODUCE JOBS THAT LOOK GREAT AND THAT ARE CORRECTLY COSTED .”
One of the leading promoters in KSA , MDLBEAST was launched in 2019 and has since grown to become responsible for the country ’ s best known and biggest music festival , Soundstorm . The huge event in Riyadh attracted no less than 1.7 million visitors across its first three editions , followed by last year ’ s festival seeing 700,000 attend across its three days . The next Soundstorm is scheduled for 12-14 December , with a lineup including Eminem , Muse and Thirty Seconds To Mars .
Overseen by CEO Ramadan Alharatani , MDLBEAST ’ s other Saudi festivals include Balad Beast , which last took place in January in Jeddah with a line up including Wu-Tang Clan and Ty Dolla ; and Azimuth at the Al- ‘ Ula oasis city in Medina Province . MDLBEAST is also behind industry events such as XP Music Futures ; a three-day music conference in Riyadh featuring workshops , panel discussions and networking opportunities . Launched accessaa . co . uk 43