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LEAP Returns to Riyadh in March for its Third Edition

Riyadh will host the third edition of LEAP, the world’s most attended tech event, from March 4 to 7. (SPA)
Riyadh will host the third edition of LEAP, the world’s most attended tech event, from March 4 to 7. (SPA)
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LEAP Returns to Riyadh in March for its Third Edition

Riyadh will host the third edition of LEAP, the world’s most attended tech event, from March 4 to 7. (SPA)
Riyadh will host the third edition of LEAP, the world’s most attended tech event, from March 4 to 7. (SPA)

Riyadh will host the third edition of LEAP, the world’s most attended tech event, from March 4 to 7.

Held under the theme "Into New Worlds", the event is organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, Tahaluf company, and the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha'at).

According to a press release issued by the organizing committee of the event, this year’s edition features expert speakers such as IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna, HPE CEO Antonio Neri, and Zoom Video Communications CEO Eric Yuan.

The event is slated to cover a wide array of topics across multiple stages, including Investor Stage and Main Stage, with discussions following web 3, unicorns and tech giant strategies, and user privacy in technology, along with a large variety of tracks, such as EduTech, RetailTech, FinTech, HealthTech, 4IR, Future Energy, and Smart cities.

DeepFest returns for its second edition at LEAP, in partnership with Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA); more than 150 speakers and 120 exhibitors will take part.

AI is the focus of the event. The dawn of AI, foundations and breakthroughs; AI achievements, applications and impact; AI frontier, innovations and emerging technologies; and AI’s future, collaborations, ethics and sustainability will be tacked over the course of the four days.

LEAP will host more than 1,800 global tech exhibitors, such as Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, Cisco, Avaya, SAP, ServiceNow, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Alibaba, and Huawei.

Vice Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Haitham AlOhali said: “We welcome thought leaders, influencers, investors, and innovators from around the world to LEAP. This edition arrives at a time when variables are accelerating, and generative artificial intelligence is a critical turning point at the economic and social levels.”

“The event will feature 10 stages discussing various aspects of technology, including health, education, and e-commerce,” he added.

Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones CEO Muteb Alqani said: “We are keen to present a special experience to our visitors, as we will gather top speakers and tech experts from around the world.”

“This event has been created to empower technology globally; therefore, the upcoming edition brings together the largest tech companies, startups, and investors, all under one roof, which has the potential to lead to numerous investments and launches,” he stated.

Over 1,000 speakers, 600 startups, and 172,000 are expected to attend the event.

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Davos to Welcome Trump Virtually as World Leaders Await New US President’s Policies

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Davos to Welcome Trump Virtually as World Leaders Await New US President’s Policies

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)

Donald Trump will mark his return to the global stage with a virtual World Economic Forum appearance in Davos next week, as world leaders await details of the incoming US President's policies and his pledge to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump is due to return to the White House on Jan. 20, with his inauguration for a second term as US President coinciding with the start of the 55th annual WEF meeting of political and business leaders in the Swiss mountain resort.

Meanwhile, another key player in any attempt to bring peace to Ukraine, the country's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, will make a special address and take questions, the WEF meeting organizers said on Tuesday.

Among the other global leaders due to attend the meeting, which will include 60 heads of state and government, are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China's vice premier Ding Xuexiang, WEF President and CEO Borge Brende said during a press conference.

Brende said Trump, who has twice previously attended Davos, will join "digitally" on Jan. 23, without giving further details. He said it would be a "very special moment" to learn about the new Trump administration's policy priorities.

"There is a lot of interest to decipher and to understand the policies of the new administration, so it will be an interesting week," Brende said.

Topics on the Davos agenda range from mounting global geopolitical and economic uncertainty to trade tensions, climate goals and how AI can help make lives better.

Business leaders have become more optimistic about the economy given Trump's pledges to reduce regulation, potentially cut taxes and ease restrictions on activities including mergers and acquisitions, Rich Lesser, global chair of Boston Consulting Group, told Reuters ahead of the meeting.

Lesser said, however, that underlying optimism is being offset by concerns about tariffs, deportations, a widening budget deficit and the US relationship with China.

MIDDLE EAST

This year's meeting in Davos is taking place against "the most complicated geopolitical backdrop in generations," Brende said, adding that the forum will have a strong focus on Middle East geopolitics, including high-level diplomatic talks.

Delegates will discuss developments in Syria and the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Yemen alongside other topics.

Participants will include Qatar's Prime Minister, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Syria's foreign minister, the UN special envoy on Syria, the Iranian Vice President, Israel's President and the Palestinian Prime Minister.

"There will be a hard work at the situation in Syria, the terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza ... the potential escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. We were very close to it between Israel and Iran, and I don't think we're out of the woods yet," Brende said.

CLIMATE

The WEF will this week release an analysis looking at companies that account for two-thirds of global market capitalization, which will show that only about 10% are taking meaningful and tangible action on the climate and nature agenda.

Business and political leaders gathering in Davos from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24 are also due to discuss how to ensure energy remains affordable, secure and green and the challenges preventing acceleration of efforts towards energy transition.

"We’re in a really challenging moment for climate, where countries are asking if other nations are doing their share," said Boston Consulting Group's Lesser.