As Saudi Arabia accelerates the transformation of its holy cities under Vision 2030, developers are redefining what urban living, mobility, and community experiences will feel like for millions of Muslims visiting Makkah each year. Among the early movers shaping that future is Arabian Dyar, the developer behind Dayar Al-Haram — a multi-phase residential and mixed-use destination within Masar, the 3.5-kilometre urban spine being built by Umm Al-Qura.

Speaking at Cityscape Global 2025, Anis Al Habshi, vice president of Arabian Dyar, reflected on the company’s long-term commitment to the holy city and its role in raising the standard of livability and hospitality for Muslim communities worldwide. “We started our Dayar al-Haram project about four or five years ago, and we have already committed to buy several pieces of land from the master developer, Umman Pura. We have already started construction of the first phase to be completed next year,” he said.

Foreign ownership regulations — long a topic of anticipation — are also shaping buyer interest. “When we first started a couple of years ago… there’s been talk about foreign ownership being buying. But now things are getting more straight on. There’s been talk that more details of foreign ownership will be released in January,” Al Habshi noted. “To all intents and purposes, in Makkah and Medina, I think it will be strictly reserved for Muslims… for obvious reasons.”

Whether purchased for family use or investment, the demand is clear. “Many of them want to buy for second residences… a good number of interest for people who want to buy for investment purposes,” he added.

Shaping the future of Makkah through Masar

A central element of Arabian Dyar’s strategy is its integration within Masar, the major urban redevelopment programme designed to modernise and elevate the experience of visiting Makkah. Al Habshi believes Masar represents a turning point for structured, well-planned urban development around the holy sites.

“I’m just guessing, but I think maybe there was no master planning for the holy cities except for the mosque proper,” he said. “So there comes a developer, a master developer by the name of Umm al Qura, which developed Masar… this linear project, 3.5 kilometres long.”

Arabian Dyar has been involved from the earliest stages. “We have the ability to do so very early on, which was 4 1/2 years ago, and we are the first movers. So to that extent, we have first move advantage,” he said. The company’s role is to deliver high-quality residential and hospitality offerings — from upper mid-market to luxury — “so that the whole Muslim world can enjoy living in quality… while they do their pilgrimage.”

Masar’s objective is not simply development but elevating the entire ecosystem around the Haram, from mobility corridors to branded residences and hospitality clusters. Arabian Dyar sees itself as a long-term partner in making that ambition real. “We want to help Umm al Qura to make this Masar a reality,” he said.

Innovation, sustainability and partnerships

Al Habshi described the company’s approach to innovation with refreshing realism. “It’s always easy to talk about innovation, but sometimes we don’t walk the talk,” he said. Still, sustainability is a clear priority — “in terms of the materials that we use, and also in terms of the architecture design.”

Architecture in Makkah is deeply rooted in cultural vernacular. “We have the Makkah style of architecture, which started with the Hijaz,” he explained. “In Riyadh… we talk about the Salmanic or the Najdi architecture. So we do our part, and not only that, we are happy… when we submit our plans to the Royal Makkah authorities, they’ve got third-party guidelines. So that makes our job a lot easier.”

Partnerships form another foundation of the company’s strategy. “We are partnered with Masar, whom we buy land from, the Uman Kura. Then we will partner with very good consulting firms,” he said. Co-investment opportunities are emerging too, with investors expressing interest “in the last one year… in terms of co-development.”

While not explicitly discussed in the transcript, Arabian Dyar has been exploring technology partnerships — including early work on AI-driven real estate intelligence with global technology firms — reinforcing its intent to future-proof its projects.

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Supporting Vision 2030 through large-scale delivery

Arabian Dyar has been playing an active role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s national housing goals and supporting Vision 2030’s commitment to improve quality of life across the Kingdom.

“In the last about six years, the company has built and developed and handed over about 6,000 units… both apartments and villas. So we’ve, on the average, delivered about 1,000 units per year,” Al Habshi said. Much of this has been delivered through collaboration with the National Housing Company (NHC).

“In doing that, what we’ve done is that we are trying to help our government… to achieve the target of having 70 per cent of the Saudi population have their own homes by 2030,” he said. “So we make money along the way, but at the same time, we contribute positively and meaningfully.”

For the company, delivering premium living environments in Makkah — the spiritual heart of the Muslim world — carries responsibility beyond commercial success. It is about raising standards, improving community experience, and enabling pilgrims and residents to enjoy a higher quality of life in one of the world’s most sacred cities.

In a world where business rarely pauses, the Polo Classic Cup offers something increasingly rare: a moment for global leaders to slow down, connect with intention, and build relationships that endure far beyond the event itself.

Debuting this December at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Abu Dhabi, the Polo Classic Cup serves as the ADFW Speakers’ Welcome — a curated gathering designed to unite C-suite executives, investors, family offices, policymakers, and international guests in a refined, high-touch environment. Set against the grandeur of one of the region’s most iconic hotels, the event seamlessly blends Arabian hospitality with a sport rooted in heritage.

At the heart of this experience is AIOKA, a global leader in premium hospitality and corporate event innovation. For over a decade, AIOKA has delivered world-class brand moments across continents — from renowned Formula One hospitality platforms to high-level corporate summits, leadership forums, and immersive experiential activations. Their philosophy is simple: corporate hospitality should drive connection, influence, and commercial value.

The Polo Classic Cup embodies this approach. AIOKA’s international expertise ensures every touchpoint — from guest journey to staging, entertainment, and hospitality — reflects global standards while honouring local culture. The result is a polo experience that feels both modern and timeless, paying tribute to the UAE’s heritage while resonating with today’s influential business community.

Conceived as a platform for meaningful dialogue, the event places as much importance on the conversations around the field as the action on it. In line with the UAE’s commitment to fostering global discourse and shaping the future of finance, it creates an atmosphere that is elevated yet relaxed, luxurious yet welcoming. Exhibition matches featuring the esteemed Ghanoot Racing & Polo Team punctuate a programme of curated networking moments designed to spark valuable interactions among high-profile attendees.

With Abu Dhabi Finance Week emerging as one of the world’s most dynamic platforms for global finance and investment, the Polo Classic Cup plays a pivotal role: it sets the tone for the week ahead. It gathers the voices shaping tomorrow’s markets and gives them the space to connect, reflect, and build rapport before the pace of ADFW begins.

Ultimately, the Polo Classic Cup is more than a welcome event — it is an invitation to experience the UAE’s heritage, hospitality, and global ambition in one remarkable afternoon. And it stands as a testament to AIOKA’s ability to transform corporate gatherings into moments of impact, influence, and genuine human connection.

Cityscape Global has rapidly evolved into one of the most influential real estate platforms in the world, mirroring the scale and ambition of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation. At the centre of this growth is Tahaluf, the organiser behind the mega-event’s expansion in size, scope and economic impact. Speaking with Gulf Business at Cityscape Global 2025, Rachel Sturgess, senior vice president at Tahaluf, outlined the indicators of success shaping this year’s edition — from record-breaking deal value to new sector pavilions, networking formats and long-term industry initiatives.

The momentum was clear from day one. “What we did announce on the first day of the show — His Excellency, the Minister, announced — was that there would be 43 billion US dollars of deals announced on the main stage over the first two days of the show,” Sturgess said. “We’ve seen those announcements happen yesterday and today. And it shows a really strong indicator for the investment that’s happening in this sector, in the real estate sector in Saudi Arabia.”

More deal announcements are expected as the show concludes, supported by a dedicated hub where “partnerships, agreements [are] being signed throughout the full four days as well,” she added.

This year’s event also set new records for participation. “We’ve got over 550 exhibitors this year. We have 200 developers exhibiting — that’s a significant increase from last year,” said Sturgess. The floorplan reflects the diversification of the Kingdom’s real estate market, with expanded zones for banking, architecture, design, PropTech, sports, and stadium infrastructure.

Enhancing the visitor journey: Format innovation and sector-specific networking

Cityscape Global 2025 spans 166,000 square metres — “more than double the size of the event when we launched it in 2023,” Sturgess noted. That growth has been accompanied by deliberate improvements to the visitor experience.

“We really focus on the visitor journey,” she said. This includes enhanced wayfinding, a more intuitive event app, and new experiential elements across the venue.

A major highlight this year has been the expansion of specialised B2B and matchmaking formats. “We have lots of off-site networking — we launched Cityscape Nights this year,” Sturgess shared. “Last night there was an investor dinner, tonight there’s a different evening networking event taking place.”

On-site activity has also intensified. “Just over here as well, you can see the investor lounge where there’s, I think, 350 to 400 one-to-one investor meetings happening today. We have one-to-one developer meetings and specific developer networking,” she added. Elsewhere on the grounds, the Sports Integrity Awards brought together leaders across the region’s fast-growing sports infrastructure sector.

Because Cityscape now hosts exhibitors from traditional real estate, PropTech, sports, architecture, and finance, the focus is on curating connection points for each stakeholder group. “We want to ensure that we’re providing networking opportunities for the right people to be connecting during the event,” said Sturgess.

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Building long-term legacy: Beyond deals to talent, innovation and sustainable growth

While Cityscape Global generates substantial deal flow, Sturgess emphasised that the event’s legacy extends beyond commercial announcements.

During the opening programme, the team presented a progress update on the commitments made during the 2023 edition — a new step reflecting the show’s maturing role as a development platform. “We talked about the progress of the announcements that we made in 2023 and an update from the partners on how those projects have progressed,” Sturgess said.

The event also plays a role in nurturing future talent and advancing new technologies. “We have a student competition where winners can have internships and programmes for their development,” she explained. A range of startup and scale-up competitions showcase innovation across PropTech and sustainability — with prize money but, more importantly, exposure to major Saudi investors and developers. “A lot of them are also looking for how they can take their company to the next level — the opportunity for them to pitch in front of judges from major companies in Saudi and how that progresses.”

This approach reinforces Cityscape’s purpose as not just a marketplace, but an enabler of ecosystems — from entrepreneurship to project delivery.

The next five years: Expanding sectors, new formats, and the evolution of Saudi cities

Sturgess highlighted that Cityscape Global will continue to grow as Saudi Arabia accelerates its national urban development agenda.

“Cityscape is such an exciting event because we’re growing so much each year. The market is growing in that respect as well,” she said.

One of the most notable additions this year was Estaad — a dedicated stadiums and sports infrastructure pavilion, launched at a time when Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in new venues and global sports assets. “That is particularly exciting with all the new stadium projects that are happening in Saudi and sports being really at the heart of community building,” she added.

Sturgess emphasised that Cityscape Global is no longer just a real estate event — it is a platform for the very shape of future cities. “We’re not only talking about pure real estate,” she said. “We’re talking about the evolution of cities in Saudi. Cities are being built from scratch, which is not happening really in many places around the world.”

With new city-scale developments, giga projects, and infrastructure clusters rapidly emerging across the Kingdom, Cityscape Global is positioned to play a defining role in connecting capital, talent, technology, and global partnerships.

As Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with one of the world’s most ambitious housing programmes, the National Housing Company (NHC) has emerged as a central driver of the Kingdom’s built-environment transformation. Speaking with Gulf Business at Cityscape Global 2025, Mohammed Albuty, chief executive officer of NHC, detailed how the company is scaling at unprecedented speed — from unit delivery and community design to global partnerships and supply chain localisation — all in support of Vision 2030’s economic and social targets.

Albuty began by setting the broader context for NHC’s expanding mandate. “NHC currently is playing more than a real estate developer role. We are actually a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030, especially through the housing program, where one of the major targets is to increase the home ownership of Saudi citizens to 70%,” he said. “The government has achieved 65% by 2024, which is a year ahead of the target of 65% by 2025. NHC played a major part and contributed to that target.”

Beyond expanding homeownership, NHC has been central to a shift in how communities across Saudi Arabia are designed and experienced. “In the past, most of the development was only just developing lands and people just built homes on the land, so there were no open spaces, green spaces and so on,” Albuty explained. “We are raising that bar. We sell all the units, all the livable community with all its services and amenities.”

The company’s scale is now unmatched in the region. “We are active in 17 cities, 25 destinations, with many local and international partners working with us,” he noted. “Yesterday, we announced our partnership with four new international developers with an investment value of 8 billion Saudi riyals. We lead in 2024, more than 62% of all off-plan sales for residential units.”

Delivering at scale: From 134,000 new launches to a 600,000-unit vision

A key highlight of NHC’s year has been the launch of more than 134,000 residential units — a significant milestone in its aggressive delivery plan.

“You know, this target is very aggressive,” Albuty admitted. “But we are lucky for many reasons. First, there is demand. There is local demand. As a CEO of a real estate development company, I’m lucky because there is a demand, so we can have a machine working to meet that demand.”

NHC’s long-term targets are among the most ambitious in the world:
• 300,000 units by 2025
• 600,000 units by 2030

According to Albuty, the capital investment behind this pipeline reflects the scale of Saudi’s housing agenda. “The total investment only for residential of the 600,000 units is exceeding or reaching half a trillion Saudi riyals,” he said. “It means how much investment — and it is all SAS driven. So that means we have to have solid and strong partners to support us.”

NHC functions not just as a developer but as an ecosystem enabler. “As NHC we will develop almost 20%, 80% is local or international developers,” Albuty explained. “We support them in the whole value chain — from master planning to marketing and sales, even to construction and supply chain initiatives, and in handover and post-handover.”

This support also includes advanced digital platforms for sales, supply chain management, and developer enablement, underscoring NHC’s shift from traditional development to integrated infrastructure delivery.

Global partnerships crossing SAR48bn

NHC’s growth has also been fueled by a widening network of global partnerships. “International developers — before yesterday, we announced 40 billion worth of investment for international only,” Albuty said. “Yesterday, we announced more agreements worth 8 billion, which is now, with international, almost close to 48 billion worth of investment.”

These partnerships span the US, Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, China, and the wider GCC. Notable groups include TMG, Mountain View, Hassan Allam, and major East Asian players. “All of them from West and East, the Middle East — they trust the Saudi market. They found an opportunity in the Saudi market. They trust NHC as a partner,” he said. “They found real opportunity, and they’re expanding their projects with us.”

This international expansion is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s goal of integrating global expertise, capital, and innovation into its real estate and housing landscape.

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Securing supply chains for a half-trillion-riyal pipeline

As NHC’s development pipeline accelerates, supply chain security has become a top priority. Albuty emphasised that the challenge is twofold: guaranteeing timely supply and maintaining cost efficiency.

“In such supply that we are working in, there is a real challenge, which is how to secure the supply chain — the materials on time and on budget,” he said. “The mandate is huge and the time is very short.”

To address this, NHC has rolled out a multi-layered supply chain strategy anchored by its Supply Chain Pro platform. “We signed an agreement with a lot of local and international suppliers in the whole value chain,” he explained. “For example, steels, precast, cement, tiles, even aluminium and doors.”

NHC has also established four industrial zones within its developments, functioning as logistics hubs and manufacturing clusters. “Those factories and workshops are built there to be close to the projects and to ensure localisation of the material,” said Albuty. “It helps in solidisation, increases the local content, and ensures our projects get the materials we are looking for at the acceptable price and within the time.”

With supply chain investments exceeding SAR21bn, NHC is building one of the most advanced homebuilding supply ecosystems in the region.

As Vision 2030 enters a new phase of delivery, NHC stands at the forefront of shaping Saudi Arabia’s urban future. Its transformation from a housing enabler to a master-developer, ecosystem builder, and global investment partner reflects the giant scale of the Kingdom’s ambitions.

Cityscape Global has rapidly become one of the most influential real estate platforms worldwide, and at the centre of this transformation is Tahaluf — the events company behind several of Saudi Arabia’s most high-impact convenings, including LEAP, Black Hat, DeepFest, and Money20/20. Speaking with Gulf Business at the 2025 edition in Riyadh, Mike Champion, CEO of Tahaluf, detailed how the company is reshaping event standards in the Kingdom and aligning them with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 agenda.

Champion made it clear that the event’s success is rooted in strategic alignment with national priorities. “All of the Tahaluf events that we do deliberately align with the strategic priorities of the government,” he said. From AI and cybersecurity to biotech, pharmaceuticals, and medical innovation, Tahaluf’s event portfolio mirrors the Kingdom’s push to build competitive, globally connected industries.

The 2025 edition of Cityscape Global also reflects Saudi Arabia’s intensifying focus on attracting global investment. Champion pointed to the investor forum running in parallel with the exhibition. “You have trillions of dollars — literally trillions of dollars — of real estate assets under management represented by chief investment officers and serious investors… looking at mega projects and giga projects, funds, and how they can deploy those funds within Saudi.”

This shift toward investment-led convening marks a clear evolution from the event’s previous iterations. “We’ve only done three editions,” he said. “Within three years, this event is now three times larger than the largest ever Cityscape that’s happened in any other market.”

Scaling at speed: Lessons from three editions

Tahaluf’s rapid growth hasn’t been without challenges. Champion openly acknowledged the difficulties of scaling both events and organisational capacity, but highlighted the 96% employee retention rate as the anchor to the company’s momentum.

“When you’re scaling a company as fast as we have been — from a couple of people only a few years ago to next year going into 470 to 500 people — you tend to lose a lot of people on the way, but we haven’t lost that many,” he said. “That continuity of talent ensures that you don’t get a repetition of silly mistakes.”

He referenced operational learnings, particularly from LEAP, where unprecedented attendance created logistical challenges. “We learned from that success that caused a problem,” Champion said. The solution included building a third hall, adding 5,000 parking spaces, and widening roads. “Now we don’t have a parking problem or a traffic problem like we did.”

A significant part of continuous improvement comes from year-round engagement with ministries, regulators, and private-sector leaders. “We meet with the government entities responsible for property, real estate, regulation… They guide us. There’s a lot of research that happens.”

The ‘festivalisation’ of business events

One of Champion’s strongest points was the shift in how professional events are designed and experienced. “Festivalisation is where you turn an event from being something that nobody wants to go to, but they’re forced to by their boss, to one where people are begging their boss to go to.”

He argues that many global organisers prioritise profitability over market relevance. Tahaluf has chosen a different route: “We’ve trusted that the market and what they want should have that service to a really high standard — and then the profit should follow.”

This philosophy has helped Tahaluf build flagship events that command significant government participation and decision-making influence. “Cityscape — there is no other event of this size in the property market or in real estate,” Champion said. LEAP, he added, is now unmatched in global attendance for its category.

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The road ahead: New mega-events, new headquarters, and global expansion

Tahaluf’s ambitions for the next five to ten years reflect both confidence and long-term planning.

From 2020 to 2025, the company grew annual revenue from only a few million dollars to more than $200 million. “We’ve seen this year 36–37% revenue growth,” Champion said. “Next year, I think we’ll probably see healthy double-digit revenue growth as well.”

Half of future growth, he noted, will come from new event launches. “I’m in final discussions with what I would refer to as two genuine, globally important mega event brands… And there are another four or five events of substance that have a big opportunity to grow.”

Tahaluf’s economic impact reached $17.6 billion between 2023 and 2025 — “more than the Qatar World Cup, more than the Summer Olympics in Paris,” Champion emphasised. With rising global business tourism into Saudi Arabia, he expects this impact to accelerate.

The company is also preparing to move into a new 4,750 sq. m headquarters in Riyadh. “It will be one of Informa’s premier offices worldwide… such is how important the Saudi market is to Informa and why Informa has been involved in the Saudi market for almost a decade.”

Cityscape Global 2025 reflects the Kingdom’s momentum as it becomes a global centre for real estate investment, innovation, and large-scale development. For Tahaluf, the event is both a product and symbol of Saudi Arabia’s new economic trajectory — a fast-scaling, internationally connected, high-impact platform built around Vision 2030’s ambitions.

Champion summarised it best: “The government here have very high standards. When you meet those high standards, when you meet the challenge of delivering that for them, then that begets more work and more opportunity.”

Cityscape Global — and Tahaluf itself — appears poised to capture that opportunity at unprecedented scale.