15th Real Estate Development Summit Saudi Arabia: Europe Edition recently concluded on the 4th and 5th of July in Palau de Congressos Palma de Mallorca – Spain

 Aptly themed: Connecting beyond boundaries, this edition brought over 350 decision-makers together

representing top projects in Saudi Arabia and a global pool of some of the most sought-after

solutions.

The gathering began with a heartfelt welcome address by Ravi Kumar Chandran, Managing Director – GBB Venture, the organizers of the summit.

The summit began on a very high note with the legendary, Sir Peter Cook, Director – Cook Belacevic Haffner + Partners sharing his expert take on the elements of Enjoyable Architecture.
 

While Reina Takla, Business Editor – Arab News interviewed Elias Abou Samra, Chief Executive Officer – RAFAL Real Estate in an exclusive session on how Saudi is now a hotspot for real estate developments and what aspects can truly make it accessible and affordable.

Use of AI and VR in BIM design processes by Mohammed Adib, Chief Design Officer – Dewan Architects & Engineers

The Dawn of the Biotech City by Pablo M. Vidarte, CEO & Founder – Bioo
 

Designing Sustainable Urban Communities with Direct Manufacturing Partnerships by Nishan Suvarna, CEO – Bluestream

Designing with Water – Going Beyond Technology by João Branco, Senior Architect – OASE

Reimagining Luxury Design With 3D Printed Ceramic Tiles by Wessel van Beerendonk, Co - Founder – Studio Rap

Innovation beyond Surface by Eng. Nawaf Mohamed AlFaydi, Specification & Business Development Manager - Jazeera Paints
 

The summit’s highlight – the pre-arranged face-to-face meetings then took over the audience and kept them captivated and busy with a very high-quality match-making crafted by the organizers. A sumptuous lunch opened up yet more opportunities for some free networking.
 

A though-provoking panel discussion: Setting Saudi Beyond Competing Boundaries followed the lunch with Joe Tabet, Managing Partner – JT + Partners leading the discussion. While he gave a glimpse of his highly talked-about project with NEOM – Treyam, with the panellists, he explored the various facets of real estate development in Saudi Arabia and how they compare with more established markets. Amr Younes, Head of City Design & Construction – KAEC, Dr. Ahmed Khan Alhashimi, Executive Director of Engineering Affairs – Sumou Real Estate, Navdeep Hanjra, Vice President of Planning and Development – Royal Commission for AlUla and Tareq Nabulsi, CEO – Development & Projects – Al Othaim Investment & Co. were all in agreement of Saudi Arabia’s massive potential in terms of real estate development and Saudi being the biggest phenomenon in the region.

Following another series of targeted pre-scheduled meetings, the attendees were in for a big surprise for the dinner. The exciting, fun-filled gala dinner was hosted in Assaona Gastrobeach Club with a delicious menu, drinks, live music and an unforgettable dance party.
 

As exciting as day 1 was, attendees were in for more on day 2 beginning with a panel discussing Procurement Beyond Boundaries, led by Maroun Deeb, Head of Project and Development Services for KSA & Bahrain – JLL, the panel brought about key aspects of policy changes and localization of supplies while making it easier for international business to establish their products and services in KSA. Jacob Rinard, Vice President – Program Director – Parsons, Saudi Arabia, Eng. Bakr Sindi, Chief Supply Chain Officer – Consultant, Sam Achampong, Regional Managing Director – CIPS MENA and Fadi Yanni, Delivery Director – JASARA Program Management Company dealt with this sensitive subject brilliantly as panellists and brought about the long-term planning and execution of schemes that make procurement and supply chain a smoother road.

The panel which set the tone for the day was further followed by a series of presentations with the common theme of Design Defying Boundaries.

Jason Speechly, Design Director – RMJM spoke about some of the highlight projects by RMJM and how they navigated through the design process.
 

Edward McIntosh, Regional Design Director – Atkins Realis and William McDonough, Chief Executive – McDonough Innovation were unable to make a presence at the summit due to their compelling circumstances in Saudi, but were digitally present showcasing their mettle nonetheless. Edward covered their celebrated work on Iris project while William gave a glimpse of his acclaimed work with the Cradle-to-Cradle design concept highlighting some examples from his own work.

After leaving the audience on such a high note, the last set of meetings was full of newfound excitement and the attendees couldn’t stop getting enough of it. Concluding the summit with a creative networking session, the organizer's big goodbye in style leaving the attendees as excited for their next set of events: Register Now

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