Faisal Al-Khamisi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones and Co-Chairman of Tahaluf, revealed at the closing ceremony of LEAP 2026 that the company's platform has surpassed SAR 45 billion in sales and deals, underscoring the growing economic impact of its business events on the local economy, which have attracted over 1.4 million visitors.
Speaking at the event held under the theme “Into New Worlds” at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, Al-Khamisi noted that LEAP has evolved over five years into a global commercial platform connecting companies, customers, investors, and opportunity creators, enabling partnerships and deals in one place, while also benefiting aviation, hospitality, tourism, and the broader local economy.
He explained that Tahaluf, founded in 2022 in partnership with the Federation, Informa, and the Events Investment Fund, has grown to rank among the top 20 exhibition and events companies globally by revenue, aiming to enter the top six by 2030. The company has launched 25 events across various sectors, including LEAP, Black Hat, Cityscape, Global Health, Money 20/20, and CPHI, with government partners.
Al-Khamisi highlighted the tangible impact of these events, citing over 262,000 flight bookings, more than 328,000 hotel nights, and over 236,000 jobs supported. He also shared examples of national companies benefiting, such as a crowd management firm growing its workforce by 400% to over 8,000 employees, and a startup that closed successive funding rounds after starting from a small booth at LEAP.
Regarding international expansion, he confirmed that LEAP East 2026 in Hong Kong attracted over 25,000 visitors, 450 exhibitors, 340 speakers, and 600 investors, making LEAP the first Saudi exhibition brand to go global. He added that future plans include developing more Saudi-owned intellectual property events and expanding into new sectors like esports, yachts, sports tech, entertainment tourism, fashion, and future energy, aligning with Vision 2030 goals.
For more details about LEAP 2026, visit the event page.