RIYADH – Under the patronage of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior of Saudi Arabia, Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, inaugurated the “Saudi National Security and Risk Prevention” Expo at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Riyadh. The event, which run from Nov. 4-6, welcomed participants from 130 companies from 22 countries around the world, and focuses on the areas of digital transformation and innovative security solutions for smart cities, as well as other projects Saudi Arabia is building as part of Vision 2030.

Lieutenant General Sulaiman Al-Amro, Director General of General Directorate for Civil Defense in Saudi Arabia, said: “We are delighted with the opening of the Saudi National Security and Risk Prevention Expo which is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Interior. The event supports the Kingdom’s ambitions set by Vision 2030 and is one of the most important milestones achieved under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince Muhammad, deputy premier and defense minister across all areas, including the area of security to ensure the safety and security of citizens, residents and visitors.”

“The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate for Civil Defense and related security sectors, strives to further develop and enhance the security and prevention sectors to address current and future security challenges,” Al-Amro added.

He also praised the significant presence of leading global companies showcasing their sophisticated technologies at the exhibition, noting that this will facilitate opportunities to forge business relationships with Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors.

The event, which is being held for the first time in Saudi Arabia, boasts widespread participation from industry leaders, experts and consultants, as well as top local, regional and international companies specialized in the field of security solutions and risk management, and features several workshops focusing on key issues related to innovation in security, in addition to live interactive demonstrations.

The event also features two forums. The first, entitled “The Future of Hajj Safety & Security Forum”, delves into the what Hajj seasons will require in terms of infrastructure, services and security facilities in order to create opportunities for organizations specializing the fields of security and risk prevention. The second, entitled “Smart Safe Cities Forum”, seeks to boost foreign direct investment in Saudi Arabia and support its objectives with regards to economic diversification.

The exhibition will also see the launch of Innovation Awards which will celebrate innovations across six categories: Virtual and Augmented Reality, Drone Detection, Unmanned Systems and Robots, Digital Crime Management and Digital Forensic Clues, Connected Systems and Smart Security Equipment and Crowd Control. A panel made up of industry experts will select the nominees and winners from each category.

The event is organized by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate for Civil Defense as the Higher Organizing Committee, with participation from various departments of the Ministry and other national security agencies.

In bringing leading public and private sector organizations together, the event seeks to contribute towards achieving the Kingdom‘s future ambitions. Official partners of the exhibition include the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones as Associate Partner; Elm as Digital Transformation Partner; Mobile Land Systems as Strategic Partner; Thales as Cybersecurity and Hajj Security and Infrastructure Protection Partner; AEC as Smart Cities Security Partner; Safe City Group as Innovation Partner; SBM as Knowledge Cybersecurity Partner; and Smiths Detection as Airport Security Partner.

One of the many activities taking place at the event is the Smart and Safe City Control Center, an innovative platform to showcase the very latest security technologies that will present the first simulation of its kind in Saudi Arabia for emergency response, including equipment especially designed for this purpose, as well as advanced solutions for monitoring and command centers. — SG