The National Exhibitions and Conferences Program, launched in September 2013 with the direct support of HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and Chairman of the Program's Supervisory Committee, is considered an important tributary to the national economy and investment, by supporting tourism and its localization to provide job opportunities for citizens, thus promoting balanced development in all regions of the Kingdom.

National Exhibitions and Conferences Program.

Partnerships with the two sectors (public and private)

The program was able to achieve many achievements at various levels, and accomplish a series of developmental and economic projects that are in line with the state's vision for the exhibitions and conferences sector, as it was able to build a distinguished partnership with a large number of development institutions in the public and private sectors, as this partnership formed a bridge for communication and cooperation between the program and institutions and companies related to organizing conferences and exhibitions held inside the Kingdom, which promotes this sector and highlights the bright face of the Kingdom internationally.

The program has been able to achieve many achievements at various levels, and to accomplish a series of developmental and economic projects that are in line with the state's vision for the exhibitions and conferences sector.

Program achievements in two years

As a result of the sound and thoughtful directions set by the program's strategic directions, the program was able to achieve many achievements during its two-year life span, which can be summarized as follows:

• The activation of the role of the program's supervisory committee and the regularity of its meetings, which held three meetings during this period, which resulted in a number of important decisions.
• Adopting the policies and procedures of consumer goods fairs and applying them starting from the first Friday of Ramadan 1436 A.H.
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• Approving the collection of a financial fee for the service of canceling or modifying the dates and locations of trade fairs.
• Adoption of the trade fair plan for 2015.
• Building and operating the electronic portal of the program with funding from Yesser at a cost of 11.6 million riyals for three years, to be launched on November 8, 2015.
• Reconstituting its advisory group and increasing its members to 24 members, and forming another advisory group of 17 members to develop the meetings of professional, scientific and health societies.
• The program adopted the support and backing of the Saudi Academy for Events, Exhibitions and Conferences, and the policies for the development of exhibition and conference facilities in the Kingdom.
• Activating the memorandum of cooperation signed between the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and the program on 29/9/2013.
• The program succeeded in cooperating with Saudi Customs and the Council of Saudi Chambers in applying the controls and procedures for the temporary introduction of goods as of 1/1/2015.
• The program was able to develop mechanisms to work with the Ministry of Interior regarding the licensing of exhibitions and conferences held in the Kingdom, adopt them and circulate them to all emirates of the regions to work accordingly starting from 15 Rabi'I 1436 AH, and hold educational workshops to introduce this mechanism.
• Preparing mechanisms to work between the program and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the procedures for granting visas for visiting exhibitors and speakers, and starting the optional phase of implementation.
• The program succeeded in establishing mechanisms to work with the General Organization for Vocational and Technical Training and the program to regulate the licensing of training courses and apply them starting from the ninth of Shaaban 1436 A.H.
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• The program has also made great strides in cooperation with the National Program for Crafts and Handicrafts “Barea” in terms of granting free land spaces for craftsmen to participate in consumer goods exhibitions, and encouraging organizers of exhibitions and conferences to purchase craft gifts.
• The program was able to work with the Council of Saudi Chambers and the National Committee for Exhibition and Conference Companies, and succeeded in preparing the organization of the Saudi Association for Exhibitions and Conferences and submitting it to the Supreme Council, and participating in the working group formed in the Commission of Experts to study the organization.
• He succeeded in preparing working mechanisms for licensing exhibitions and conferences held by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Council.
• The National Conference Exhibitions Program has prepared working mechanisms with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties regarding the licensing of health conferences held in the Kingdom.
• The program was able, in cooperation with the General Investment Authority, to facilitate the procedures for the entry of international exhibition and conference companies to work in the Kingdom.
• The program was able to coordinate with regional emirates, branches of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, secretariats and municipalities in monitoring exhibitions and conferences held in all regions of the Kingdom, and was able to issue penalty decisions against violators.
<The heads of the Tourism Development Councils in Riyadh, Najran, Jeddah and Taif have issued decisions to form working teams in their regions this year to add to the Asir and Qassim teams that were formed in the first year of the program's launch. <The program's temporary website, which has an average monthly traffic of about 12,800 visits, was updated, and the program coordinated with the Information Technology Department at the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the Arabian Domain Company to establish the new portal and formed a steering committee for the project.

About the Program

<The National Exhibitions and Conferences Program (NECP) was established based on the provisions of Cabinet Resolution No. (246) issued on Rajab 17, 1434 A.H. to transform the Permanent Committee for Exhibitions and Conferences formed by the Supreme Decree (7863/MB) dated 13/11/1431 A.H. into a national program named "National Exhibitions and Conferences Program The Cabinet decision included the formation of a supervisory committee headed by His Highness the President of the General Authority for Tourism and Antiquities, and the membership of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and two members from companies working in the field of exhibitions and conferences. The purpose of establishing the program is to supervise, develop and organize the exhibition and convention sector in the Kingdom, and work to develop it, enhance its role in the national economy, increase its effectiveness, and overcome obstacles to its growth, in line with the Kingdom's rightful position. The establishment of the National Exhibitions and Conferences Program is an important step, an ideal choice, and a great incentive to develop and accelerate the growth of the exhibitions and conferences sector in the Kingdom. This program will be the primary sponsor of the exhibitions and conferences sector in the Kingdom, and will have the central role in supervising and developing the exhibitions and conferences sector in the Kingdom.