Cityscape Global 2024, the world’s largest real estate event, has kicked off today in Saudi Arabia’s capital, marking its second consecutive year under the theme ‘The Future of Living’. Running from November 11 to 14 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, this year’s edition grows to add on two new halls over 45,000 sqm, features various new segments, more than 150 hours of content, 500 experts sharing ‘Future of Living’ insights, and 400 exhibitors.
Under the theme ‘The Future of Living’, Cityscape Global 2024 has redefined its offerings this year by expanding into cutting-edge segments, including Stadiums & Mega Events, Sustainable Smart Cities, Hotel Development, and Next-Generation Construction Technologies. These new verticals align with the event’s focus on business-to-business (B2B) transactions, attracting an additional 130 regional and international exhibitors to forge partnerships and seize new opportunities within Saudi Arabia’s flourishing real estate market.
“The enhanced B2B focus is aimed at driving international developers to establish their presence in Saudi Arabia and attract institutional investors with a fund value of $1.5 trillion by increasing engagement between developers, regulators, government entities, and investors,” said Rachel Sturgess, senior vice president at Tahaluf, which organizes Cityscape Global.
FDI’s role in achieving Saudi Arabia’s vision
On the first day, Cityscape Global 2024 will host a ministerial session titled ‘Harnessing Foreign Direct Investment and Global Partnerships for Saudi Arabia’s Vision’. This session will feature discussions with Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail and Minister of Investment Engineer Khalid Al-Falih.
The event will also feature a special meeting with the Mayor of the Riyadh Region Prince Dr. Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf, which focuses on ‘Riyadh 2030 — Driving Transformation Through Visionary Leadership’.
Investor program attracts global players
Cityscape Global 2024’s supporting foundation partners include National Housing Company (NHC), NEOM, ROSH New Murabba, King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Diriyah Company and Destination Partner, MASAR.
This year’s Cityscape Global Institutional Investor Program, which has attracted renowned investor companies including BlackRock and Brookfield, promises to unlock regional and global opportunities, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where 1.2 billion square meters of built-up area will be developed by 2030.
“Following last year’s record-breaking achievements – $30 billion in transactions and project launches – we expect an increased number of international participation this year. With Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of 70 percent home ownership, the Kingdom is opening unprecedented opportunities for developers and architects worldwide, which is contributing to the global attention of the event, including $8 billion for the Saudi economy,” added Sturgess.
Riyadh: Global hub for real estate professionals
Cityscape Global 2024 will also highlight Riyadh’s emergence as a global hub for real estate professionals. The event will be hosting more than 50 participating countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Singapore, India, Germany, and Hong Kong, among others.
The event will focus on Saudi Arabia’s growing giga-projects while also presenting global perspectives on urban development, sustainable cities, and real estate technology. This year’s edition also highlights Saudi Arabia’s pivotal role in shaping the future of urban living, in line with the Vision 2030 goal of delivering a million new homes and achieving 70 percent homeownership by the end of the decade.
The future of real estate
With more than 150 hours of expert-led content across seven specialized conferences and 20 content tracks, including the new Stadiums & Mega Events Stage as well as a dedicated stage and conference for PropTech, Cityscape Global 2024 will offer unparalleled insights into the future of urban living, sustainable construction, and smart city innovations.
Sports enthusiasts will also be able to meet and greet Ivory Coast’s all-time top scorer and former captain, Didier Drogba, and world-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua OBE, while Saudi nationals can apply to join a live auction featuring SAR1 billion worth of exclusive assets.
During the event, visitors can also participate in competitions to win plots of land, while prospective homebuyers will have the chance to access special mortgage rates and valuable advice from market experts.
“As the world’s largest real estate event, Cityscape has been a launchpad for iconic developments and welcomed countless thought leaders. This year is going to be the biggest edition yet. The world of real estate investments is evolving very quickly, with Saudi Arabia targeting $103 billion in foreign direct investment annually by 2030,” said Kevin O’Leary, one of the show’s headline speakers.
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Shaping the future of cities
The first-ever Cityscape Future Leaders Competition will also take place to empower students and fresh graduates by challenging them to solve real-world architectural problems. Meanwhile, the Cityscape Innovation Challenge will gather over 60 PropTech, Smart Cities, and ConTech startups to compete for the chance to make it to the Shark Tank-style Finale.
The ROSHN Hackathon is also back, supported by Google Cloud and PwC, where 100 selected participants and 40 teams will compete for prizes worth SAR1.5 million.
“Cityscape Global is a testament to the Kingdom’s commitment to innovation and technological advancement. By fostering creativity and collaboration, the ROSHN Hackathon will drive the development of groundbreaking solutions that will shape the future of our cities. The initiative will not only attract top talent but provide them opportunities to gain prominence within the real estate environment and move them closer to a position from which they can have a transformative impact,” said Jayesh Maganlal, ROSHN Group’s chief information and digital officer.
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