Saudi interior design, trade show offers B2B networking

INDEX Saudi show gives participants the chance to discuss market needs and trends to drive their industry forward. (AN photo by Basheer Saleh)
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Updated 09 September 2021
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Saudi interior design, trade show offers B2B networking

  • KSA is a ‘very good country for international business,’ says Polish entrepreneur

RIYADH: With thousands of industry professionals attending, Saudi Arabia’s premier interior design and trade show INDEX Saudi offers a platform for buyers and sellers to engage in business-to-business networking.

Running from Tuesday to Thursday at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center, the show gives participants the chance to discuss market needs and trends to drive their industry forward.

“It’s a very good opportunity for business to business and business to individual networking with peers in the industry,” Faiza Abdullah Al-Sarami, owner and designer of Sama creation, told Arab News.

“We support hotels with artwork and furniture, we support individuals as well with art and interior design,” she added. “Hopefully, this exhibition will help us to find our target.”

The numerous construction projects taking place in the Kingdom offer a big boost for the interior design market, she said. “With a lot of projects around, especially in Riyadh, as the city is fast expanding, there is fair chance for business to grow.”

Patryk Kocimski, CEO of Polish company Handicraft Design participating at the INDEX Saudi, said Saudi Arabia is a “very good country for international business.”

He said: “I have met several people and spoken to them and discussed market needs and trends in the furniture segment and what we can provide, the response is good.”

Osama Alzoubi, interior designer at Ebreez, said that the show has brought people from the industry after a global halt for one and a half years due to the pandemic.

Ahmed Saleh Al-Aqeel, deputy general manager of Alaqeel furniture factory, said that their business provides services to hotels, compounds, resorts and stores, and the presence of international hotels and big companies from the US, Europe and other parts of the world is “a big B2B opportunity for us.”

He said that many construction projects, including megaprojects, are going on as part of the Saudi Vision 2030, and the platform connects interior suppliers and manufacturers with interior designers, architects, project managers and retailers who are involved in these fit-out projects across the Kingdom.

The forum will cater to the demands of construction projects including the Red Sea Development Project, NEOM, Qiddiya, AMAALA, Diriyah, Al Widyan, King Salman Park, Jeddah Tower, Riyadh and Jeddah Metro and others.

The residential interiors sector in Saudi Arabia is growing very fast. Developers are investing about $10.7 billion in construction of residential, and commercial projects, boosting the demand for residential interiors.

Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s largest construction market, making it the region’s largest interior design and fit-out buyer, with an interior market value of $3.5 billion.

With the entertainment industry opening its doors to the world and relaxing laws to encourage tourism, the Kingdom is gearing up for a massive change.

Jasmeet Bakshi, group event director at the DMG Events and organizer of the Hotel Show, said that the three-day event “has opened with a great success, reinforcing the importance of live networking, relationship building and trade within the sector.”

The hotel show and the entertainment expo running alongside it opened with a strong belief in recognizing the Saudi talent abounding in the hospitality, tourism and entertainment sectors.

With youth in Saudi Arabia being encouraged to choose local hospitality and tourism sectors for their careers, a robust growth in the industry is expected.

Luis Salgueiro, CEO of ZADK and hospitality leadership forum speaker at the show, said: “After the pandemic, I believe the future of the food and beverages market will definitely keep rising. The food and beverages sector in Saudi Arabia is the largest in the Middle East based on recent studies. Saudi Arabia has a value of $45 billion.”

James Barlow, export manager at Rainbow productions, a world leader in manufacturing bespoke brand and sports mascots, said that he is exhibiting in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

“We see a lot of prospects for the future. We have made a good profile here, having worked with Al-Othaim. We are here to further build on it,” he said. “Saudi Arabia is definitely an emerging market, and we want to make sure that we are at the forefront of it.”


Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

Updated 08 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia ‘categorically rejects’ Israel’s plan to seize Gaza territory

  • Israeli authorities on Monday approved plans to take over territory and forcibly displace population
  • Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Israel’s violations of international law

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “categorically rejected” plans by Israel to expand its military operations in Gaza and seize control of the territory.

The ministry also “strongly condemned the continued Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”

Israeli authorities on Monday approved a new ground operation to take over parts of Gaza, forcibly displace Palestinians into the south of the territory, and control the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Israeli army is calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers.

The announcement sparked widespread international condemnation. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said it stood firmly opposed to any attempted expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and stressed the importance of holding Israel accountable for failures to comply with international resolutions.

The Kingdom continues to have “unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, in line with international legitimacy, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the ministry added.


Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi project destroys 600 more Houthi landmines and other explosives in Yemen

  • The devices, cleared from various parts of the war-torn country in recent months, were safely detonated on Wednesday
  • Project Masam has removed nearly 500,000 mines across Yemen since its launch in 2018

RIYADH: Members of the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance, also known as Project Masam, safely detonated 600 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices on Wednesday.

The project’s engineers had demined and removed the devices over the past few months from various parts of Yemen, including the town of Beihan and the districts of Usaylan and Ain in Shabwah governorate.

Hussein Al-Aqili, commander of the project’s survey team, said they carried out the destruction operation in the Thahba area of Ain district on Wednesday as part of their ongoing mission to clear mines and other remnants of war in Yemen, and save civilian lives.

The project has cleared nearly 500,000 mines from the country since its work there began in 2018.

Last week, Ousama Algosaibi, the managing director of Masam, warned that the Houthis continue to exploit periods of truce to plant more mines across Yemen.

“We are in a constant race with the Houthi militias; we clear mines from one side while they plant more on the other,” he said during an interview with Al-Ekhbariya TV.


Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi ambassador meets Bahrain King’s media affairs adviser

Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi was received by Nabeel bin Yacoub Al-Hamer, media affairs adviser to the King of Bahrain, in Manama on Wednesday.

The adviser expressed his pride in the solid fraternal relations and deep-rooted historical ties that bind the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He also wished Al-Sudairi continued success in his duties, which will further support and strengthen the fraternal ties, mutual coordination, and close cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in various fields, and particularly in the media.


 


Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi commission expands music access for people with disabilities

  • Push for accessible arts programming reflects wider goals for social development

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission has launched a national initiative to expand access to music education for people with disabilities, marking a key step toward their greater inclusion in the Kingdom’s cultural landscape.

Focused on Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, the program trains instructors to teach students with physical and cognitive disabilities.

It supports the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to elevate quality of life and ensure opportunities for all segments of society.

Music education expert Issa Al-Qarbi praised the initiative as a transformative step in supporting individuals with disabilities.

“Music is a highly effective medium for stimulating brain activity, developing motor and social skills, and enhancing overall psychological well-being,” he said.

The initiative includes adapting teaching methods, specialized curricula and fully accessible learning environments aligned with the requirements of the Mowaamah certification, a program which provides support to increase participation among disabled individuals in the labor market.

In designing the program, the commission partnered with international experts in music on the curricula and programs that align with global best practices.

The existing models were reviewed using the standards set by the National Association for Music Education.

The commission’s goal is to empower students to express themselves through music, boost their self-confidence and enhance their social, cognitive and motor skills.

The students will receive extended training that prepares them for group performances while supporting their artistic, cognitive and social development. Sessions with parents and community members are also being planned to raise awareness and encourage family engagement.

Al-Qarbi said that long-term sustainability and lasting impacts could be ensured by closer partnerships between the education and healthcare sectors.

He praised the initiative as a regional model, opening the door to further research and innovation.

He said that teaching music to individuals with disabilities went beyond technical skills, nurturing essential personal qualities such as patience, discipline and social engagement, which in turn positively influenced many areas of their lives.


Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

Updated 07 May 2025
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Saudi surgeons separate Egyptian child from parasitic twin

  • Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah says operation is one of the most delicate carried out by his team
  • Procedure takes 8 hours and involves multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants

RIYADH: A medical team from the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program successfully completed a surgical procedure on Wednesday to separate an Egyptian child from a parasitic twin.

The operation on 8-month-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Juma at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh took eight hours and was split into six stages. It involved a multidisciplinary team of 26 consultants, including specialists in anesthesia, neurosurgery, pediatrics and plastic surgery.

A parasitic twin, also known as a vestigial twin, is an identical twin that stopped developing during gestation and is physically attached to a fully developed twin. Because it did not fully develop, it cannot survive on its own and often dies in the womb or during birth.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who heads the surgical team and is an advisor at the royal court and supervisor general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, said the twins were joined at the back, lower chest, abdomen and pelvis. The parasitic twin lacked a head and essential organs, including a heart and kidneys.

Al-Rabeeah described the operation as one of the most delicate his team has been involved with, and thanked his colleagues for their efficiency and skill during the surgery, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mohammed and his parents flew to Saudi Arabia in March after King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued directives for medics in the Kingdom to help the child.

The operation on Wednesday was the 63rd separation procedure carried out under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program, which has reviewed 149 cases of patients from 27 countries since its inception in 1990.