For years, exhibitors have debated one key question before major industry events: does securing the best location on the exhibition floor guarantee better results? According to Basma Dawwas, director LEAP Events, the answer is changing.
At a global technology gathering on the scale of LEAP, success is no longer determined simply by where a company’s booth is located. Instead, businesses that create meaningful engagement, build anticipation and develop strategic connections before the event are increasingly the ones achieving the strongest outcomes.
Read more: Inside LEAP: Behind the scenes of Saudi Arabia’s tech showcase
With LEAP bringing together more than 201,000 visitors and 1,800 exhibitors in 2025, Dawwas believes the future of exhibitions is moving away from passive visibility and towards purposeful interaction. “Location certainly influences visibility, but it no longer determines success,” Dawwas said.
Creating demand beyond the exhibition floor
Dawwas explained that successful exhibitors are adopting a more proactive approach to participation. Rather than depending solely on visitor traffic, leading companies are creating their own momentum through targeted campaigns, product announcements, speaking opportunities and pre-arranged meetings.
“Businesses that announce product launches, secure speaking opportunities, schedule meetings in advance and build anticipation through their own marketing consistently outperform those who simply wait for footfall,” she said.
This shift reflects a broader change in how companies measure exhibition success. The traditional approach of attracting large crowds to a booth is increasingly being replaced by strategies focused on relevance, engagement and high-value conversations.
“As LEAP has evolved, we’ve also invested heavily in making business connections more intentional,” Dawwas added. For 2026, LEAP will introduce LEAP Connect, a dedicated platform designed to support curated meetings and networking opportunities. The initiative aims to help companies build relationships based on shared objectives rather than relying on chance encounters across the exhibition floor. “Today, relevance beats proximity. The right conversation will always outperform passing foot traffic,” Dawwas said.
The real value begins after the event ends
While exhibitions often focus on what happens during the event itself, Dawwas highlighted that the weeks following LEAP can be even more important for businesses looking to convert conversations into opportunities.
“The most successful exhibitors understand that LEAP isn’t the finish line, it’s the beginning of the relationship,” she said. According to Dawwas, repeat exhibitors stand apart because they act quickly after the event, identifying their strongest leads, personalising follow-ups and maintaining engagement while discussions remain fresh.
“The weeks immediately after the event are often where the greatest commercial value is created,” she said.
Rather than measuring success through the number of business cards collected, leading companies focus on the strength and longevity of the relationships they establish.
“The companies that generate the greatest long-term return don’t measure success by the number of business cards they collect. They measure it by the quality of the relationships they continue building long after the exhibition closes,” Dawwas said.
“In many cases, what happens after LEAP determines whether the event becomes a cost, or a catalyst for growth,” she said.
LEAP’s growth stories
One of the most significant outcomes of LEAP’s evolution, according to Dawwas, has been watching companies grow through the opportunities created at the event.
She highlighted the journey of Ejari as an example of how participation can support long-term business development. After first connecting with investors during LEAP 2023, the company secured an initial $400,000 investment before raising further funding. The company is now returning to LEAP 2026 with a Unicorn Booth.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of reaching our fifth edition is seeing businesses that first joined LEAP as startups return years later as scale-ups, industry leaders and even unicorns,” Dawwas said.
A platform connecting multiple technology frontiers
Dawwas said LEAP’s ability to bring together multiple technology sectors under one platform is one of its defining characteristics. “LEAP differentiates itself by bringing together multiple technology industries that might often sit in separate forums,” she said. The event focuses on demonstrating how technology applications can create practical solutions across industries, moving beyond traditional discussions and presentations. “LEAP also pioneers immersive and experiential activations that go beyond traditional panels,” Dawwas said. “From AI-guided robotic surgery simulations to brain–computer interfaces translating neural signals into speech, visitors are not just hearing about future technologies, they are interacting directly with the organisations building them.”
The rise of new global technology markets
Dawwas also pointed to a major transformation taking place across the global technology landscape: the rise of emerging markets as centres of innovation.
“One of the biggest shifts in global tech is that innovation is no longer concentrated in a handful of traditional hubs,” she said.
Markets that were once considered secondary are increasingly becoming destinations where companies launch products, secure investment and expand internationally. She believes LEAP reflects this changing environment by providing a platform where startups, investors and technology leaders can experience the growth of the Middle East’s technology ecosystem firsthand.
As technology events continue to evolve, Dawwas believes the winners will be companies that look beyond visibility and focus on building meaningful connections, creating experiences and sustaining relationships long after the exhibition doors close.
