International business leaders are turning their attention to Riyadh, where Saudi Arabia will host the Fortune Global Forum for the first time on October 26–27, in a move underscoring the Kingdom’s growing status as a global economic hub and a center for shaping future business decisions.
Executives from Fortune and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences said holding the forum in Riyadh marks a new phase in the Kingdom’s economic transformation and reflects international confidence in its ability to help shape the future of the global economy.
New Horizons
Anastasia Nyrkovskaya, Chief Executive Officer of Fortune Media, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Fortune’s mission is to follow business wherever it thrives and evolves. She said Riyadh was chosen out of a belief that understanding global business transformations requires understanding what is happening in Saudi Arabia.
Hosting the Fortune Global Forum in Saudi Arabia affirms the Kingdom’s position at the forefront of global business change, Nyrkovskaya said.
She added that the forum builds on a series of Fortune events launched this year in the Kingdom, including the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit held in Riyadh in May — the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia.
Global Hub
Nyrkovskaya said Fortune sees a compelling reason to be in Saudi Arabia, a country undergoing transformational growth that is solidifying Riyadh’s position as a global center for trade, innovation and investment.
On the forum’s themes, she said artificial intelligence is fundamental to the future of business, and the event will provide an open platform to discuss its impacts across industries. The agenda, she added, has been deliberately designed to cover topics ranging from sports and media to trade and finance, encouraging rich dialogue among decision-makers capable of shaping real outcomes.
This kind of direct interaction between business leaders cannot easily be replicated by large-scale events, she noted.
The forum enables face-to-face meetings between CEOs, policymakers and leaders of influential institutions worldwide.
A Thriving Events Sector
Hatim Alkahily, Acting CEO of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences, said Riyadh’s selection to host the Fortune Global Forum reflects the Kingdom’s emergence as a global hub for business events.
He noted that over the past four years, the Kingdom’s exhibitions and conferences sector has experienced unprecedented growth, with more than 17,000 events held annually — including major conferences, trade fairs and global forums, making it the most active in the region.
Alkahily told Asharq Al-Awsat the expansion aligns with Vision 2030, which has made the events industry a key contributor to the national economy and a driver for investment, tourism, technology and energy.
More than 20 leading international exhibition organizers have now chosen Saudi Arabia as their regional base, he said.
Hosting the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, Alkahily added, is more than a global event, it is a reaffirmation of international confidence in Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation and its growing role as a center for dialogue and future decision-making.
Opportunities for Collaboration
He said the forum’s focus on topics such as artificial intelligence and advanced supply chains reflects the core of global economic transformation, in which Saudi Arabia plays an integral part.
The Kingdom is investing heavily in future-oriented sectors, he noted, and uses platforms like this forum to connect global industry leaders with local counterparts to explore cooperation opportunities.
Alkahily said the event’s presence in Riyadh symbolizes the Kingdom’s evolution from a host of international gatherings into a driving force shaping the global economic agenda.
The country’s event infrastructure is expanding rapidly, with plans to add more than one million square meters of new exhibition and conference space by 2030 across Riyadh, Jeddah, the Eastern Province and Asir — forming the region’s largest integrated network of venues.
He added that the partnership between the authority and Fortune represents a new model of international collaboration that combines government vision with private-sector innovation.
“These global forums in Riyadh don’t end when the event concludes,” Alkahily said.
“They mark the beginning of ongoing partnerships that open new horizons for international collaboration and strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global center for business, innovation and sustainable investment.”
A Global Outlook
The Fortune Global Forum will examine the driving forces behind major shifts in the world economy, from historic advances in artificial intelligence and rising geopolitical tensions to the impact of changing trade policies on global markets and supply chains.
It will also highlight transformations across the Gulf, where regional economies are pivoting from energy dependence to strengthening their financial leadership, creating new opportunities for public-private partnerships and redrawing the map of global business and investment cooperation.
