The Saudi Light & Sound Expo was one of a host of industry tradeshows taking place in May, but as one of the newer events, and being located in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, it showed growth in both its floorplan and visitor numbers.
Organised by dmg events and now in its fourth year, 2025 saw the exhibition return to Riyadh Front – the only centrally located exhibition space that can accommodate a show of this size now its floor space has been upped to two halls. By my count, SLS Expo had around 185 exhibitors this year plus exhibits outside, with one of particular note being Kvant’s Architect Sky Laser seemingly firing deep into space…
As in previous years, SLS Expo was located alongside the theme park and attraction-focussed SEA Expo. The two shows sit well together and give attendees the ability to source various equipment and expertise under one roof.
The show floor looked professional, with many distributors building large, well-designed stands to showcase their numerous offerings. Though, as with any show in our sector, the number of LED screen exhibitors was perhaps a little over the top…
As far as visitors to the Expo, the show floor was always busy and while the quality of visitors may have been questioned in the past, all the exhibitors I spoke to were pleased with the quality of attendee. Even previous exhibitors who were just walking the floor this year were left wondering whether a return to being an exhibitor was necessary.
As in previous years, there was a host of conference sessions being held on the show floor, including a wide range of topics and an excellent roster of speakers.
Saudi Arabia’s rapid development of live events, hospitality and tourism venues, plus the necessary infrastructure, is now starting to bear some fruit with projects happening and new installations opening all the time. And with the 2030 Vision now only five years away, the Kingdom’s requirement for entertainment technology is only going to increase.
With such massive development taking place in the Kingdom, dmg events and TPiMEA joined forces this year to host the inaugural Saudi Entertainment Technology (SET) Awards, celebrating the best in live events and installations throughout Saudi Arabia.
Taking place on the first night of SLS Expo on the show floor, the SET Awards saw 13 outstanding projects take home prizes. Winners included: A Thousand And One, which walked away with Small Scale Festival; MDLBEAST Soundstorm for Large Scale Festival; and RCRC Founding Day Celebration 2025, which won the Celebration Ceremony category. The SET Awards also shone a light on excellence in the installation world. The Solitaire Mall took Retail and Leisure; Onyx Arena won Performance Venue; King Fahad Cultural Centre took the Museum award; and Four Seasons Riyadh took the Hotel category.
Other winners on the night included: NES Studios, which was presented with the Studio award; KSA Pavilion Expo 2025 for Immersive Experience; Longines Global Champions Tour Final 2024 for the Sporting Event category; and the New Global Sport Conference & ESports Awards 2024 for the Conference award. Meanwhile, At-Turaif won Transport and Built Environment; while Harry Potter: A Riyadh Season Adventure was awarded the Theme Park and Attraction category.
Although the majority of the awards were presented to organisations around specific projects, The SET Awards also presented an individual prize to Mutasim Ibrahim, who won this year’s Rising Star award. A special mention must also go to The Red Sea Film Festival 2024, which walked away with The Green Award for its efforts in sustainability.
SLS Expo will return to Riyadh Front in 2026, with the the earlier dateline of 4 to 6 May.
Photos: SLS Expo
