Saudi’s LEAP23 bags honour of world’s largest tech event based on visits

Leap23, the technology event in Riyadh, has confirmed 172,000 attendees this year, making it the world’s largest technology event by attendance, according to its organisers.

The four-day event saw an unprecedented 300,000-plus visitor registration from more than 100 countries and welcomed a faculty of 1,000 global investors – up from 350 last year.

Comprising major investor groups, sovereign wealth funds, private family groups, major venture capital, and private equity funds focused on technology, Leap23’s investor faculty featured assets under management totalling $2tn.

Read: LEAP23 announces investments of over $9bn to support future technology and startups

Investments at Leap23

With on-event transactions exceeding $9bn – a 32 per cent year-on-year increase – Leap23 has injected fresh foreign direct investment impetus into Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystems and startup economy.

من قلب الرياض، هكذا كان #ليب23!
أكبر مؤتمر تقني حضورًا بالعالم

From the heart of Riyadh, this is how #LEAP23 was
The most attended tech event worldwide pic.twitter.com/HUqqHlC5d4

— LEAP (@LEAPandInnovate) February 9, 2023

Major announcements this year include mega infrastructure investments and multiple new data centres nationwide, a raft of billion-dollar-plus public-private partnerships, and new academies to foster and upskill homegrown talent.

Meanwhile, to ensure that the platform continues accelerating the kingdom’s digital transformation, Leap will be moved to a new location for next year’s edition.

Read: Saudi’s LEAP23 announces series of new investments, equalling $580m

Leap24 will transition to a 120,000 square metre capacity venue in 2024, enabling the third event to double in floor size and cater for even more innovative technologies, digital entrepreneurs, tech startups and guest speakers.

Powered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in conjunction with Tahaluf – a strategic joint venture co-owned by Informa and SAFCSP – Leap’s expanded new venue will further enhance the Saudi’s position as the largest digital market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

أرقام تُحقق الأحلام في مؤتمر #ليب23 ✨ pic.twitter.com/3ZnRynf8DG

— LEAP (@LEAPandInnovate) February 9, 2023

“Momentum continues to go into orbit. In its first edition, Leap22 enjoyed the largest debut of any technology event in history. In its second year, Leap23 has rewritten the rule book once more to become the world’s largest technology sector event by attendance,” said Michael Champion, who heads Tahaluf, organisers of Leap.

“There is no limit to the ambition of this event or this nation. While the on-event investment announcements are truly unprecedented, the legacy of this year’s show will extend further and deeper than anyone can truly comprehend.

There are 380,000 technology professionals currently working in Silicon Valley – the world’s tech capital – and there are 340,000 employed in Saudi’s technology industry.

We are still only seeing the tip of the iceberg, and when we consider that technology investment, adoption, innovation, and entrepreneurship are key pillars in the kingdom’s ambitious economic diversification strategy, the potential for Leap to power Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and galvanise growth across the international technology arena is unlimited,” he added.