Exhibitions and conferences are a significant part of the business landscape in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The UAE, long known as an international business hub, hosts numerous conferences and exhibitions across key industries. These events are considered among the most prominent global gatherings for specific sectors: Big5 Construction, Gitex, Seamless Middle East, IDEX, Gulfood, Arab Health, LEAP – these events have already become part of the annual business agendas of all major industry players, buyers, sellers, and their consultants.
During the early 2010s, many business professionals traveled to the UAE to participate in or attend these exhibitions and conferences, considering them integral to their regional business development strategies.
Whether exhibiting or merely attending, many viewed these events as significant networking opportunities. They hoped to connect with potential clients or encounter key decision-makers who could open doors to new business prospects.
Personally, I pursued a similar strategy, attending exhibitions in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and recently, Riyadh. While attending these events, I experimented with different networking approaches. Initially, I aimed to connect with as many people as possible. Later, I tried to target the most senior decision-makers I could identify.
While I managed to establish connections with some influential individuals who subsequently opened doors or provided business opportunities, I eventually reached a significant conclusion about exhibitions and events in general. Unless you are a speaker, sponsor, exhibitor, organizer, or someone with high visibility, these events can be a considerable waste of time.
Firstly, compared to other activities you may engage in to achieve your goals, attending an event can be one of the most costly. It involves travel or commuting expenses, time spent wandering around, and listening to speeches that may not directly align with your objectives. All this is done for the sake of those “magical” in-person interactions with individuals who may not ultimately benefit your business.
Moreover, even if you manage to approach a decision-maker at one of these events, they are typically surrounded by many others and approached by dozens or even hundreds of individuals. This means that even if your pitch is compelling, they may have difficulty recalling you after the event.
Many business cards I collected from these events ended up unused in my card holder.
As the role of social media has grown, I gradually realized that my efforts on social media and the content I produced through my digital profile played a far more significant role than any in-person networking.
One of the recent events I attended in Riyadh was among the largest global events in my industry. To get there, I had to endure two hours of traffic on the way and a similar duration on the return journey. I had to go through security checks, wait in line for my badge, navigate through crowds inside, and even queue for approximately 15 minutes to use the restroom.
The following day, I decided to focus on my emails, calls, and content creation for my social media accounts. I found that second day far more productive than the first day at the exhibition.
This experience solidified my belief that working on my digital profile offered far greater potential than in-person networking.
Starting in 2023, I strongly advise companies seeking my guidance about the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or any other market not to prioritize events but rather concentrate on enhancing their digital profiles.
Today, the algorithms of major social media platforms have the ability to transform anyone into a celebrity within a day through their content. The phenomenon known as “TikTok-ification” has made it possible for any piece of content to go viral, potentially reaching thousands or millions of people, something that is simply not feasible while attending an event.
Consequently, my own approach to events, which I also recommend to anyone seeking my advice, is to attend only events where I am invited as a speaker, events organized by me, or events where I pay for visibility through sponsorship or an exhibitor booth.
