LEAP 2023 Surpasses High Expectations

For anyone outside of the know, an event that has since been touted as the “largest tech event in the world” has come and gone, having been hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. LEAP is an annual tech convention that convenes for three days in Saudi’s capital city, which has enjoyed compounding success from year to year since its first gathering in February of 2022, originally enjoying over 100,000 visitors during its debut event. The most recent iteration of this event (LEAP 2023) has shown to have an even better attendance rating, as well as a more robust field of booths, tents, speakers, conferences, and the addition of a fourth day of activity, rocketing this event past the former number of registrants by hitting over 250,00. 

New professional relationships have been made, bonds have been forged, grants have been announced and distributed, and bridges have been built between budding companies that would otherwise have never come together due to geographical challenges and differences. For me, that is among the most important aspects of this event, the shaking of hands and coming together of like-minded people who are excited about cutting-edge technology and the creation of relationships that may one day change the world through their ideas and application of innovations. Further, one can’t escape the admiration of efforts being made by the technology and digitization development that was showcased, spoken about in conferences, and put on display as the potential of what’s coming- or better, what could be, spans across the divide between government and private sectors. 

For anyone who may have missed the conference, I wouldn’t be speaking out of turn if I were to tell you that it was a big deal, lavished with wonderful displays of the power of limitless connectivity, a host of cutting-edge hardware and software meant to enhance all areas of manufacturing, B2B, B2C, and data storage, and the different technologies involved with developing the mysterious Web 3.0, to name only a few of the topical displays that were active. What impresses me the most is the organization of the event, though at times areas were heavily trafficked as one might imagine it would be with such an amazing turnout, nevertheless, planning and preparations made ensured that it was a positive experience regardless of the foot traffic. Among the attractions was Sarah, Saudi Arabia’s first interactive robot, who was open to interacting with all comers willing to conduct a conversation in Saudi’s home dialect (Arabic), at times show off some dance moves, or simply answer queries from excited and inquisitive registrants. 

As impressive as Sarah might be, she is only a taste of the AI technology that is either available via display or showcased throughout the event, being joined by more complex and interactive topics such as driverless vehicle systems, budding electric-powered modes of transportation technology, automated manufacturing systems, and frankly, ideas that will take acts of legislation to transform many of these futuristic, exciting ideas into a functioning reality.