15th Real Estate Development Summit Saudi Arabia: Europe Edition recently concluded on the 4th and 5th of July in Palau de Congressos, Palma de Mallorca – Spain. Aptly themed: Connecting beyond boundaries, this edition brought over 350 decision makers together representing top projects in Saudi Arabia and a global pool of some of the most sought after suppliers. The gathering began with a heartfelt welcome address by Ravi Kumar Chandran, Managing Director – GBB Venture, the organizers of the summit. With the legendary, Sir Peter Cook, Director – Cook Belacevic Haffner + Partners sharing his expert take on the elements of Enjoyable Architecture, the summit began on a very high note with his presence.
While Reina Takla, Business Editor – Arab News interviewed Elias Abou Samra in an exclusive session on how Saudi is now a hotspot for real estate developments and what aspects can truly make it accessible and affordable. Mohammed Adib, Chief Design Officer – Dewan Architects + Engineers, then took the centre stage to explain how they have been using AI and VR in BIM Design Processes. Followed by a series of sponsor presentations that covered everything from a building Biotech City, Sustainable Communities, Designing with Water to 3D printed tiles & Technology in Surface Coatings. The summit’s highlight – the pre-arranged face-to-face meetings then took over the audience and kept them captivated and busy with a very high-quality match-making crafted by the organizers. A sumptuous lunch opened up yet more opportunities for some free networking.
A though-provoking panel discussion: Setting Saudi Beyond Competing Boundaries followed the lunch with Joe Tabet, Managing Partner – JT + Partners leading the discussion. While he gave a glimpse of his highly talked-about project with NEOM – Treyam, with the panellists, he explored the various facets of real estate development in Saudi Arabia and how they compare with more established markets. Amr Younes, Head of City Design & Construction – KAEC, Dr. Ahmed Khan Alhashimi, Executive Director of Engineering Affairs – Sumou Real Estate, Navdeep Hanjra, Vice President of Planning and Development – Royal Commission for AlUla and Tareq Nabulsi, CEO – Development & Projects – Al Othaim Investment & Co. were all in agreement of Saudi Arabia’s massive potential in terms of real estate development and Saudi being the biggest phenomenon in the region.
Following another series of targeted pre-scheduled meetings, the attendees were in for a big surprise for the dinner. The exciting, fun-filled gala dinner was hosted in Assaona Gastrobeach Club with a delicious menu, drinks, live music and an unforgettable dance party.
As exciting as day 1 was, attendees were in for more on day 2 beginning with a panel discussing Procurement Beyond Boundaries, lead by Maroun Deeb, Head of Project and Development Services for KSA & Bahrain – JLL, the panel brought about key aspects of policy changes and localization of supplies while making it easier for international business to establish their products and services in KSA. Jacob Rinard, Vice President – Program Director – Parsons, Saudi Arabia, Eng. Bakr Sindi, Chief Supply Chain Officer – Consultant, Sam Achampong, Regional Managing Director – CIPS MENA an Fadi Yanni, Delivery Director – JASARA Program Management Company dealt with this sensitive subject brilliantly as panellists and brought about the long-term planning and execution of schemes that make procurement and supply chain a smoother road.
The panel which set the tone for the day was further followed by a series of presentations with the common theme of Design Defying Boundaries. Jason Speechly, Design Director – RMJM spoke about some of the highlight projects by RMJM and how they navigated through the design process. Edward McIntosh, Regional Design Director – Atkins Realis and William McDonough, Chief Executive – McDonough Innovation were unable to make a presence at the summit due to their compelling circumstances in Saudi, but were digitally present showcasing their mettle nonetheless. Edward covered their celebrated work on Iris project while William gave a glimpse of his acclaimed work with the Cradle to Cradle design concept highlighting some examples from his own work.
After leaving the audience at such a high note, the last set of meetings was full of new found excitement and the attendees couldn’t stop getting enough of it. Concluding the summit with a creative networking session, the organizers big goodbye in style leaving the attendees as excited for their next set of events: 16th Real Estate Development Summit Saudi Arabia: Luxury Edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 20th and 21st Nov 2024
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