LEAP 2025, Saudi Arabia’s award-winning global technology event, is set to gather global entrepreneurs and startups in Riyadh to showcase next-gen innovations to over 170,000 visitors.
The fourth edition introduces inaugural ‘Tech Arena’, a pioneering ‘live TV’ platform that promises to inspire curiosity, collaboration, and the transformative potential of new technology.
The event, scheduled to take place from February 9-12 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre in Malham, will revolve around the theme ‘The Future of Tech’. The inaugural Tech Arena platform will provide a wonderful opportunity to explore robotics, artificial intelligence, healthcare technologies, mixed reality, and the prototypes that push boundaries.
Attendees can enjoy live showcases and hands-on interactive experiences that bring future tech to life, while emerging talents will join leading enterprises such as Aramco, L’Oreal, Adobe, Ericsson, Alwaleed Philanthropies, XAR Labs, Devoteam, and Engine VR inside the Tech Arena, to highlight the very latest trends in technology.
Unfolding Next-Gen Innovations: Robotics, AI, and Beyond
The Tech Arena’s interactive format will feature live demonstrations and sessions hosted by BBC Click icons and globally renowned tech journalists Lara Lewington and Spencer Kelly. From AI and Mixed Reality to Fashion Tech and Brain-Computer Interfaces, the Tech Arena opens the window to the future.
The Tech Arena will serve as a hub where the worlds of design and technology blend, fostering groundbreaking innovations. Anouk Wipprecht’s Tech Couture exhibit will connect fashion and engineering with robotic dress collections that move and react in life-like ways. Keeping in tune with the fashion tech theme, Adobe will bring its ‘Project Primrose’ digital dress, ushering in a future of wearable, instantly changeable textiles opening up new paths for creativity.
Redefining Healthcare Sector with AI-powered Solutions
Additionally, the Tech Arena will spotlight advancements in medical technology, including the Aramco-backed Terra Drone’s long-range medical delivery tech, which can transport essential medical supplies to remote areas by air.
The Aramco technology has the potential to transform healthcare access in underserved communities, and the company will present SARA (Saudi Aramco Robotics Assistant), its latest AI-trained assistant.
US-based Engine VR will exhibit its Golden Gloves VR platform inside the Tech Arena, which leverages virtual reality technology to provide an immersive, gamified boxing experience for fitness enthusiasts, professional athletes, and entertainment seekers.
Professional UFC fighter Andrew Sanchez will provide live demonstrations of the new technology, and attendees can experience the platform themselves across various experience levels and scenarios.
Global Innovators Converge at LEAP 2025
Alwaleed Philanthropies, a Saudi Arabian NGO, that initiates, supports, and collaborates on projects around the world, will be showcasing an AI reporting tool called ‘Atlai’, which harnesses the power of AI technology to monitor and generate reports on deforestation events worldwide for advocates of the protection of global ecosystems.
Attendees can also learn about XPANCEO’s smart contact lenses, which integrate computing power directly into a weightless wearable device. The lenses herald a new era of seamless interaction with data in any environment.
Dr. Valentyn Volkov Co-founder – XPANCEO
“At XPANCEO, we are looking forward to showcasing our revolutionary smart contact lenses at LEAP 2025’s inaugural Tech Arena. Our innovative wearable technology promises to advance the seamless integration of human senses and data, and we believe LEAP 2025 is the perfect platform to introduce our newest advances in AR vision technology.”
Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President of Tahaluf, who co-organizes LEAP with the Saudi Ministry for Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones (SAFCSP), underscored some of the benefits that innovative startups from around the world can expect.
“The Tech Arena is a unique opportunity to experience tomorrow’s world today. With more than 170,000 attendees anticipated, exhibitors will have the chance to captivate a diverse audience of tech professionals, enthusiasts, and investors. This inaugural segment will host the most innovative and impactful technologies from budding innovators worldwide, who will, in return, gain unparalleled exposure and receive valuable feedback on their groundbreaking solutions,” added Annabelle Mander
Mander also stated that added that the new arena reflects Saudi Vision 2030’s commitment to inspire and cultivate a culture of innovation, stressing that, “By creating a space where innovators can connect with global audiences and investors, we’re contributing to the Kingdom’s goal of becoming an impactful global tech hub.”
The new Tech Arena is one of two transformative new stages at LEAP 2025. The other stage provides a series of sessions focused on SportsTech. With these initiatives, LEAP strengthens its mission to inspire, innovate, and push industry boundaries into new worlds, propelling Saudi Arabia towards new standards in innovation and technological advancement.
