Deputy Minister of Media Dr. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Maghlouth participated in a panel discussion titled "Governance of Regulations and Bylaws to Raise the Quality of Services Provided to the Guests of God" as part of the sixth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Jeddah, where he praised the integrated efforts of the participating entities and extended his thanks to the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, and the staff for the success of the conference.
Al-Maghlouth explained that the Ministry of Media is leading an integrated system for governing media work during the Hajj season through the Unified Media Operations Center for Hajj, which coordinates the communication efforts of nearly 40 government entities within a single media plan. He noted that the ministry has unified more than 40 communication plans into one consolidated plan whose implementation is monitored throughout the season and which addresses media challenges to ensure consistency of messaging and integration of efforts.
He pointed out that governance has included organizing the appearances of leaders, officials, and specialists through conferences and press briefings during the days of Hajj to make accurate information available to the media at the appropriate time. He noted that this season, for the first time, five ministers participated in the government press conference, which recorded about 621 million reach and interactions, and that the media and welcoming identity was unified under the slogan "Hayyakum Allah."
He explained that Saudi Arabia hosts more than 3,000 local and international media professionals during the Hajj season, with the journey of the international journalist beginning before arrival through the submission of permit applications on the "Elam" platform of the General Authority for Media Regulation. He noted the provision of international studios and workspaces at the holy sites in cooperation with the Kadana Company and 120 broadcasting platforms in Mina alone, with expansion to the rest of the holy sites, and that the Hajj Media Forum hosted more than 13,500 experts, media professionals, and visitors.
He added that the ministry provides journalists and content creators with direct sources of information and visual materials through the Virtual Media Center (VPC), and that nearly two million pilgrims are potential content creators conveying their experience to the world. He affirmed the direction toward enhancing the use of data and artificial intelligence in understanding pilgrims' interests and measuring the impact of messaging, noting that "the success of media is measured by the impact it leaves, not by the volume of what it publishes."
This comes within the activities of the sixth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah at Jeddah Superdome from November 8 to 11, 2026, with the participation of 520 entities from 150 countries, where participants review solutions and experiences that serve the Guests of God and develop the services provided to them.