Team Premagic's Experience at Saudi Event Show 2024

Linda Weiss -

The Saudi Event Show 2024, which took place on 11th and 12th September 2024 at the Prince Sultan Grand Hall, Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh, is the most impactful MICE & Weddings show in the region focussing on the most important and emerging source markets

Thousands of event planners, producers, Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs), Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and event tech people from across the world gather at SES to find partners, figure out the next big thing in event management and check out the latest in tech powering events. It was our first time as a sponsor participant at SES.

Here are our biggest takeaways from the hottest MICE & Weddings show of the Middle East - Saudi Event Show 2024.

  • SES 2024 took place at the grand Prince Sultan Hall within the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah Hotel, hosted by Tahaluf. The months of careful planning were reflected in the largely smooth, incident-free execution of the event.
  • Despite having a booth to manage, we averaged around managed to spend some time exploring the event. There’s always room to gain fresh ideas and inspiration for future projects.
  • SES 2024 drew over 6,000 attendees. Roughly 80% of these were event professionals from all around the globe, while 20% were hotels and venues positioning themselves as top picks for buyers.
  • The remainder of the attendees consisted of event tech vendors, like Premagic, providing essential tools and platforms to enhance event execution.

Premagic at SES 2024

Our stall B14, was strategically placed in the left wing of the exhibition hall, ensuring steady foot traffic throughout the event. Right from the entrance, we made our presence known, handing out our signature magic cards at the registration desk. Attendees were also greeted by our eye-catching QR standee, strategically placed at the entrance for maximum visibility.

At our booth, our professional photographer was busy offering free LinkedIn headshots, which were a huge hit. We provided many attendees with high-quality, professional photos sure to give their profiles a boost.

The Avatar Studio was another crowd favorite. It drew in a constant flow of visitors, and the reactions as they saw their AI-generated avatars were priceless. This feature proved to be a must-have experience, with attendees sharing their avatars widely on social media, generating buzz throughout the event.

The magic didn't stop there. As soon as the event photos hit attendees' inboxes, we witnessed a surge in UGC (user-generated content). People voluntarily posted about SES using the event photos they had just received. The avatars, too, had immense shareability, helping attendees stand out with fun and engaging posts.

Our presence at SES 2024 also proved to be a prime opportunity to connect with the ideal customer profile —event professionals. Showcasing our AI-powered platform at such an event was monumental for us. We achieved a 40% registration rate for photo distribution, demonstrating significant interest and engagement.

Beyond the tech, SES 2024 opened doors to Middle East partnerships. We had the pleasure of meeting various distributors and industry leaders, marking a strong entry into the Middle East and North Africa markets. The organizers were pleased with our contributions, and we left the event with new connections and exciting opportunities on the horizon.

SES 2024 was a fantastic platform for Premagic, enabling us to connect with the right audience, showcase our innovative solutions, and expand our footprint in the Middle East event tech space. We can't wait to be a part of SES again next year!