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1st Arabia: Partnerships and new opportunities in Saudi Arabia ' s exhibitions industry
st Arabia Tradeshows &
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Conferences is a Riyadhheadquartered MICE organisation founded and led by Bilal Al Barmawi. Over more than eight years, the company has built a presence in Saudi Arabia ' s exhibitions and conferences sector at a time when the market itself has grown quickly, shaped by Vision 2030 and sustained government investment in the events industry.
Two themes run through 1st Arabia ' s work: the partnerships that give the company access to international standards and networks, and the new opportunities opening up across
Saudi Arabia ' s exhibitions landscape as the sector expands.
A partnership-first approach 1st Arabia holds membership across several of the leading international associations serving the exhibitions and events industry, including SITE, SISO, MPI, IAEE, PCMA and UFI. These memberships connect the company to global benchmarking data, professional standards and a wider network of organisers, venues and suppliers working across the same industry internationally. Al Barmawi is himself an active member of IAEE and several of these
Above: Bilal Al Barmawi other associations, a relationship that has kept the company close to the standards shaping the events industry outside Saudi Arabia as well as within it.
Beyond these formal memberships, 1st Arabia has pursued partnerships with international organisers and venue operators to bring outside expertise into the Saudi market, and to represent Saudi interests to international partners considering the Kingdom. That partnershipfirst approach has also shaped the company’ s regional footprint: alongside its operations in Saudi Arabia, 1st Arabia has an established presence in Jordan, with expansion currently underway into Syria, Iraq and Egypt. Each of these moves depends on pairing local market knowledge with a credible international or regional partner, rather than entering unfamiliar territory alone.
For Al Barmawi, partnerships of this kind are described as central to how the company operates, on the basis that no single organiser can meet the demands of a fast-moving market without drawing on relationships across borders – with international associations, with global venues and event brands, and with the local networks needed to execute shows on the ground.
That view has practical consequences for how 1st Arabia structures its work. Rather than building every capability in-house, the company has tended to pair its own operational and market knowledge with external partners who bring something it does not already have – whether that is international standards, technical expertise, or an existing relationship with a market the company is entering for the first time. Over time, that approach has allowed 1st Arabia to take on a broader range of work than a purely local organiser typically could, while still relying on outside partners for the specialist knowledge each new market or sector requires.
22 Issue 4 2026 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk