Technology & IT | Sunday 16 October, 2016 4:00 am |

The 5th edition of ArabNet Riyadh will be taking place on December 12-13-14, 2016 at the Four Season Hotels.

ArabNet is the largest annual digital forum in Saudi Arabia and is still growing! We are expecting over 1,500 participants from across the region. The forum focuses on digital business in the kingdom and gulf countries.

Highlights

This year’s event will focus on highlighting the opportunities arising after the bold Vision 2030 plan and the fast-evolving digital economy in Saudi.

The forum will host three main tracks: Business, Media, and Entrepreneurship; with speakers from across the world and MENA region to talk about building the next digital frontier in one of MENA’s strongest markets.

ArabNet Riyadh will also be highlighting top entrepreneurs, startups, and game developers through its staple Startup Demo, Ideathon, and Battle of the Games competitions!

Moreover, there also will be a dedicated pre-forum workshop day for entrepreneurs, designers and developers to hone their skills.

3 Opportunities, 3 Competitions!

Startup Demo

This is the venue of choice for up-and-coming startups seeking greater exposure to a wider audience in the region. Finalists in this competition will attend ArabNet Riyadh and be granted an exhibition booth for the duration of the event. They will also get the opportunity to pitch on stage to a crowd of investors, incubators, and media and digital professionals. Apply here before November 1st, 2016.

Ideathon

Aspiring entrepreneurs who still haven't molded their ideas into concrete businesses will have the chance to catalyze this transformation at the Ideathon competition and pitch their web- and mobile-related ideas on stage to a focused audience. Apply here before November 1st, 2016.

Battle of the Games

This fierce competition pits the best Arab developers of mobile game apps, console games, online/browser games, and social games against each other. The winners will get the chance to attend ArabNet Riyadh 2016 and showcase their game in the largest digital event in Saudi Arabia. Apply here before November 9th, 2016.

Track Details

Smart Economy Track:

Enterprises and governments are investing heavily in digital and mobile integration to improve efficiency and deliver higher quality service. And for good reason: according to a study by McKinsey, corporates that turn their digital strategy into a competitive advantage enjoy 20% increased valuation over those who lag behind. The Smart Economy Track will explore how the public and private sectors are utilizing technology to transform how they work and engage with customers and citizens. The track will tackle Machine Learning; Internet of Things; Smart Government, Big Data, Financial Technology and On-demand services.

Media Track:

The MENA region is shaping the future of online media as consumers watch over 23.5 billion hours of video content each month, according to Deloitte, and are the second largest international consumers of youtube content globally. Coupled with some of the highest penetration mobile devices in the world, consumer behaviour is rapidly evolving. This track tackles how brands, agencies and publishers are adapting to the new platforms that are transforming consumer habits on mobile and web; what are the key stats that define the region; how distribution of media is changing and the data driving advertising technology.

Entrepreneurship Track:

SMEs in Saudi are responsible for 50% of jobs created and 20% of non-oil gross domestic product (GDP), a sector that is on a fast track under Vision 2030. With budgets dedicated to increasing the number of accelerators, incubators and entrepreneurship programs across ministries. This track will focus on entrepreneurship enablers in the region: venture capitalist, LPs, private equity, corporate venture capital, as well as scaling and existing startups. The forum will also feature the Startup Demo, Ideathon, and Battle of the Games competitions.