LEAP23 Becomes World’s Most Attended Global Tech Event

It is official. LEAP23 6 – 9 February 2023 in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is now the world’s largest tech event.

Its second edition welcomed 172,000-plus attendees to become the world’s largest technology event by visits. Year-on-year visitor growth and more than $9 billion in on-show announcements have witnessed the Saudi event rewrite history. So much so the dates for LEAP24 have been set. Brace yourselves for a venue double the size and will run from 4 – 7 March 2024.

After setting numerous new industry records during its 2022 debut, LEAP23 has shattered benchmarks once again after confirming 172,000 attendees this year, making it the world’s largest technology event by attendance.

Organisers of Saudi Arabia’s LEAP – the world’s most visionary, and now most attended, technology event – have revealed next year’s edition will move to a new home to ensure the pioneering platform continues to accelerate the Kingdom’s digital transformation.

After two game-changing outings, LEAP24 will transition to a 120,000 square metre capacity venue next year, enabling the third event to double in floor size and cater for even more innovative future technologies, digital entrepreneurs, tech start-ups, and high-profile guest speakers.

Powered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in conjunction with Tahaluf – a strategic joint venture co-owned by Informa PLC and SAFCSP – LEAP’s expanded new venue will further enhance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s position as the largest digital market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

“Momentum continues to go into orbit. In its first edition, LEAP22 enjoyed the largest debut of any technology event in history. In its second year, LEAP23 has rewritten the rule book once more to become the world’s largest technology sector event by attendance,” said Michael Champion, the heads Tahaluf, the organisers of LEAP.

A core enabler in Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030, the four-day LEAP23 saw an unprecedented 300,000-plus visitor registration from more than 100 countries and welcomed a high-profile faculty of 1,000 global investors – up from 350 last year. Comprising major investor groups, sovereign wealth funds, private family groups, as well as major venture capital and private equity funds focused on technology, LEAP23’s investor faculty boasted assets under management totalling $2 trillion.

With on-event transactions exceeding $9 billion – a 32 per cent year-on-year increase on the $6.8 billion in deals announced in 2022 – LEAP23 has injected fresh foreign direct investment impetus into Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystems and start-up economy. Major announcements this year have included mega infrastructure investments and multiple new data centres nationwide, a raft of billion-dollar-plus public-private partnerships, and new academies to foster and upskill homegrown talent.

During the closing remarks of LEAP23, Champion added, “There is no limit to the ambition of this event or this nation. While the on-event investment announcements are truly unprecedented, the legacy of this year’s show will extend further and deeper than anyone can truly comprehend.”

With 380,000 technology professionals currently working in Silicon Valley – the world’s tech capital – and 340,000 employed in Saudi’s technology industry, Champion observed that “We are still only seeing the tip of the iceberg and when we consider that technology investment, adoption, innovation, and entrepreneurship are key pillars in the Kingdom’s ambitious economic diversification strategy, the potential for LEAP to power Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and galvanise growth across the international technology arena is unlimited.”