Events

LIONS Riyadh will debut in Saudi Arabia in December 2027, bringing global CMOs, brands, agencies and creative leaders together as the Kingdom strengthens its position within the global creative economy.

WHO, the World Economic Forum, UN DESA, ITU, UNITAR, the World Bank, OECD, the European Commission, the Government of Spain and GCC representation will join business and social-impact leaders in Málaga for a three-day program focused on solutions already working — and on turning them into collective action.

How global capital is redrawing the investment map in 2026

With the 13th edition of the Middle East Film and Comic Con set to take place this month, Show Director Loy Pinheiro reflects on what it has taken to build the region’s largest pop culture festival (and why the event may not be far from hosting its own version of SDCC’s iconic Hall H someday).

The event comes as the UAE records historic levels of foreign direct investment and non-oil trade expansion.

While the Forum had close to 300 attendees, the Awards had 200 guests.

Major developers including Binghatti, Danube, and Union Properties will showcase their development portfolios to global institutional investors and capital allocators at IPS 2026.

As summer travel draws to a close and clients return with higher expectations, visual grandeur alone is no longer enough. Hessa Alzimami shares six operational rules for mastering experience design to create world-class hospitality.

The four-hour event, presented by Locker Room Events, focuses on leadership, business growth and personal performance.

Sessions will cover policies and infrastructure, access to capital, talent development, investment opportunities, and strategies to support economic diversification.

The event is expected to welcome more than 38,000 attendees, alongside 350 exhibiting brands, 350+ speakers, 600+ investors and 150 startups.

The forum featured 13 high-level panel discussions, more than 80 speakers, and over 3,500 B2B meetings, reinforcing its role as a key platform for France-Gulf economic dialogue.

The conference agenda will examine developments across gaming technology, esports, game publishing, game development, monetization models, and interactive entertainment.

A key focus of the event will be ecosystem development and collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, regulators, developers, and corporate leaders.

Bezos will speak on June 17 at the VivaTech Theater.

The UAE has become WHOOP’s fastest-growing market.

Olsson also highlighted the UAE’s growing importance as a launch pad for startups seeking regional and international expansion.

Al Hassan said Abu Dhabi's ambition is to become the world's first AI-native government.

The festival regularly convenes government officials, CEOs, entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors,

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said Dubai’s events calendar will remain active through the summer months, supported by a campaign launching July 2 that will feature retail promotions and hospitality offers across the emirate.

Margueritte also emphasized upon how France and the UAE continue to strengthen a long-standing strategic partnership built on trust, investment, innovation, and a shared ambition for long-term transformation and sustainable growth.