Riyadh-based exhibitions company Alagat International and London-based Montgomery Worldwide, organisers and consultants in exhibitions, will organise a series of international trade exhibitions in Saudi Arabia during 2011.

The trade fairs will reflect the modern needs of Saudi Arabia’s economy and will be tailored to meet the needs of the Kingdom’s aggressive growth plans, a statement said.

Set to take place at the Riyadh International Exhibition Centre, the exhibition themes cover: building design and interiors; security, fire protection and safety; mining and infrastructure; machinery and industry technology; food, hotel equipment and hospitality and information and communications technology.

The exhibition schedule is set against a background of spending plans of $150 billion this year, the largest budget in the country’s history, and a $400 billion five-year investment programme designed to stimulate and broaden the economy and to support sustainable private sector expansion, the statement said.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest single economy in the Middle East and provides a ready market for the world's technology export countries looking to support the Kingdom’s economic development plans aimed at stimulating growth and modernisation across a wide range of industry sectors.

The exhibitions, which will bring suppliers of products, equipment, technology and expertise from around the world to interface with those implementing Saudi Arabia’s public and private sector plans, include:

• Building, Design and Interiors Arabia - February 20 to 23, 2011
• Security, Fire Protection and Safety Arabia - 20/23 February 20 to 23, 2011
• Machinery and Industry Technology Arabia – June 12 to 15, 2011
• Mining and Infrastructure Arabia –June 12 to 15, 2011
• Food, Hotel and Hospitality Arabia –June 19 to 22, 2011
• ICT Arabia (incorporating Consumer Electronics) – November 14 to 17, 2011

Saudi Arabian state spending doubled in the last decade, and it is predicted that it will double again in the next 10 years as the government acts to support the economy and provide the job opportunities, infrastructure and quality lifestyle for a population currently growing at 2.5 per cent a year, and expected to number close to 32 million by 2020.

Saudi Arabia has traditionally been seen to rely on revenue from the export of oil, and this will play a crucial role in funding the current ambitious investment programme, but development of the country’s infrastructure to expand the non-oil sector is now perceived as increasingly vital, the statement said. – TradeArabia News Service