LEAP 2026 is set to bring more than 200,000 visitors to Riyadh. This Saudi technology event is placing greater emphasis on investment, partnerships and commercial opportunities as it enters its fifth edition.
The event will occupy more than 150,000 square meters at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre. Global technology companies, startups, investors, policymakers and AI innovators are expected to take part.
Organizers Tahaluf say planning for the next edition starts before the current event ends. Teams study visitor movement, commercial performance and engagement before shaping the next program.
Annabelle Mander, executive vice president of Tahaluf and co-founder of LEAP, said, “The event is designed to make a large venue easy to navigate. The layout is tested from the perspective of founders, executives and first-time visitors.”
The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) played a key role in the event's expansion, Mander said. Their support has helped LEAP develop from a technology conference into a wider platform for international innovation and business.
AI will feature prominently at LEAP 2026 under the theme ‘Into New Worlds.’ The event will focus more on practical applications of AI, including healthcare, manufacturing, finance and digital infrastructure.
DeepFest will offer a dedicated focus on AI, covering areas such as foundation models, infrastructure, governance and frontier research. The Tech Arena will also feature working demonstrations, including AI-powered prosthetics and brain-computer interfaces.
Mike Champion, CEO of Tahaluf and co-founder of LEAP, emphasized that the event is increasingly focused on connecting investors with companies that match their priorities. More than 5,000 investors have attended the first four editions. More than 1,900 are expected at the 2026 event.
LEAP Connect will support curated meetings between investors and founders. The Rocket Fuel startup competition will also offer a USD 1 million equity-free prize fund. Tahaluf said that LEAP 2025 generated an estimated USD 820 million in economic impact for Riyadh.
The event is also expanding internationally. LEAP East is scheduled to launch in Hong Kong in 2026, marking the platform's first expansion outside Saudi Arabia.
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