LEAP 2024: 15 dedicated ‘tracks’, 13 stages to showcase tech innovation

LEAP 2024 is expected to welcome a record-breaking turnout of more than 172,000 visitors as the much-awaited tech event opens on March 4 in Saudi Arabia.

The show, supported by the Saudi Ministry for Communications and Information Technology, will feature over 15 dedicated tracks and 13 stages, covering topics from artificial intelligence (AI) and education technology (Edutech) to retail and smart cities.

“By increasing our key tracks from seven to 15 this year, we are fostering an environment to raise stronger awareness and facilitate conversations about the opportunities and challenges that will emerge in the digital and data-driven world shortly,” said Michael Champion, CEO of Tahaluf, the Informa PLC and Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones joint venture, and organisers of the four-day event that closes on March 7.

During the event, AI and its diverse applications will be in the spotlight at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre in the Saudi capital’s Malham district.

“Digital transformation is infusing every aspect of our lives, and the increasing use of AI means we will all experience digital innovation and transition at an unprecedented pace,” Champion added.

Supporting this endeavour is DeepFest, which is co-located with LEAP and held in partnership with the Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority. This AI-focused event has more than 120 companies participating.

Setting the ‘stages’ for knowledge-sharing

Here are the main stages that will highlight the latest tech trends and developments.

The LEAP Main Stage will host conferences led by futurists, tech gurus and industry luminaries who will share their perspectives, vision and hopes for a digitally enabled future.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Stage, or 4IR, will accelerate digital transformation, productivity, and profitability with thought leaders, change-makers, big tech, data scientists, innovators, enterprises, academia, start-ups, and entrepreneurs exploring the impact of technological advancements across businesses and world affairs.

Headlining the 4IR discussions will be Hakan Cervell, vice president and head of Ericsson Saudi Arabia and Egypt. “Beyond showcasing technologies, our focus includes key messaging pillars, transforming enterprises, reimagining consumer experiences, innovating for a sustainable future, and enabling limitless connectivity.”

“Through LEAP, we aim to foster collaboration, contributing to Saudi Arabia’s technological progress aligned with Vision 2030. Our continued partnerships and collaborations in the region contribute to advancing the next generation of 5G and 6G,” Cervell added.

Another prominent name participating in the DeepFest line-up is IBM. The company aims to spotlight how AI-powered solutions are being leveraged to enable businesses and entities to problem-solve and overcome their challenges. Fahad Alanazi, vice president, and general manager of IBM Saudi Arabia, said: “What we are seeing in the kingdom and across the wider region is a growing recognition of the transformative power of advanced technologies such as AI and automation.

“Generative AI holds tremendous potential to help improve operations and customer engagement. Specifically, generative AI can unlock businesses and organisations’ potential, as they open doors to new and previously untapped areas of opportunity.”

The Future Energy Stage will bring together scientists, policymakers, business leaders, tech experts, and representatives of local and international institutes to discuss topics under this year’s theme of sustainable energy. They will each investigate how to power the future and transition to energy sustainability and security.

Retail giants, local, regional and international, will envision the future of how and where to shop as they unpick the sector’s future on the LEAP Retail Stage. E-commerce leaders, retail technologists, merchandisers, supply chain chiefs, marketers, and retailing c-suites will dive deep into the industry’s future through interactive discussions, keynotes, and fire-side conversations.

Furthermore, the LEAP Investor Stage will be an ’empowerment’ engine as some of the world’s top investors guide disruptors, startups, and entrepreneurs into securing the funding that turns ideas into profit and social change machines.

The stage will host expert investor-led workshop classes and the popular Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition, where competitors pitch their innovative tech-focused ideas to a panel of judges with the hope of winning a share of the prize pool, which over the past two editions has seen US$2 million shared between the winners.

List of key tracks at LEAP 2024

Attendees can look forward to interacting with global leaders in their fields at LEAP’s dedicated tracks. These include the…

Creative Economy track: Here, expect to see marketers, artists, producers, videographers, content creators, hosts, and gaming professionals examine the ways technological advances in immersive and digital entertainment – as well as fashion, architecture, and design – are shaping lifestyles.

EduTech track: The rapid transformation of learning and teaching will come under the spotlight in this section. The full gamut of the education eco-system will be up for inspection, including capacity development from early-years to executive learning.

Smart Cities track: Technologists, city planners, government representatives, and private sector stakeholders will gather here to probe the development of urban landscapes, which will house nearly 70 per cent of the world’s population by 2050, according to the World Bank. On the agenda will be strategies for digital structure implementation and the development of resilient, human-centric, and digitally enabled cities.

Fintech track: Experts will dissect cutting-edge developments and innovations shaping the entire finance sector and its evolving defences against the advancements in cyber fraud in this track.

HealthTech track: Global medical experts, scientists, health practitioners, physicians and technologists will guide attendees on a journey of discovery to demonstrate how science and technology are helping people live longer, better lives.

Read: LEAP 2024 returns to Riyadh with sharpened focus on GenAI