The Third Lift City Expo Held In Rıyadh

The third Lift City Expo, which was previously held twice in Jeddah, was held on October 28-30, 2024, at The Arena Riyadh Venue fairground in the capital Riyadh. 

The Vision 2030 Plan, announced by the Saudi Arabian government on April 25, 2016, includes major works ranging from megacity projects such as “Neom” to infrastructure works, from the construction of projects related to global events such as the World Cup and the 2029 Asian Winter Games to be held in Saudi Arabia to the construction of health, education and public services.

Thanks to the economic development plan, which will be realized with an investment of approximately US$500 billion to US$1 trillion, it is aimed to achieve a major social, cultural and economic transformation in Saudi Arabia and to make the region a geopolitical center of attraction.

Founded in 2018, Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Privatization and PPP Advisory Board (NCP) continues its activities intending to attract local and international private sector potential to Saudi Arabia, improving public infrastructure and services and contributing to sustainable development.

The lift industry, which has grown parallel to the construction industry, took its place at the Lift City Expo Riyadh held in the capital Riyadh in order to get a share from such major investments. 

Expanded freedoms, such as visa application facilitated within the scope of the Vision 2030 plan (online or at the door), women being able to drive and go outside with their heads uncovered, as well as no discrimination between men and women in restaurants and cafés, provided comfort for both participants and visitors. The weather was also quite comfortable thanks to Riyadh’s central location and the lack of humidity like in Jeddah.

At the fair organized by ACT Fair Organization and National Exhibitions Co., 125 companies, mostly from China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Kuwait, Korea, Singapore and the U.AE. set up stands. Alongside companies such as Wittur, Orona, Alberto Sassi and TÜV SÜD, companies attending the fair from Türkiye included Akış, Alyans, Butkon, Çelikray, Doorlife, EKA, Elca, Küçük Group and TTI. The fair was visited by approximately 3,300 people including industry members from the developing Saudi Arabian market and neighboring countries. Local and foreign visitors who came during the visiting hours, which were arranged according to the country and climate conditions between 14:00-22:00, had the opportunity to examine the latest products exhibited by the exhibitors.

Chinese Company Predominance at the Fair

The ongoing decline in the housing production and construction industry in China has led the country’s giant lift manufacturers to search for new markets. This has especially become more prominent with the quite competitive price policies in the Middle East. Manufacturers from China were among the most notable and talk-of-the-town topics at Lift City Riyadh. The overwhelming majority of Chinese manufacturers who set up stands also featured crushing prices. So much so that the visuals displayed at the stand of Yiti, a company from Huzhou, China, showed that the price they wanted for a lift with 10 stops and a speed of 1 m/s was only US$9,980. It does not seem possible for any European or Turkish company to compete with such a price in the lift industry, where we are generally not used to displaying products with prices in advertisements and fairs.

The location of The Arena Riyadh Venue was quite advantageous both for the visitors and exhibitors compared to the previous events. Especially being next to a large shopping center provided great convenience in both parking and shopping. 

The next pillar of the event will be in Riyadh from January 27-29, 2026. Please visit liftcityexpo.com/sa/ for detailed information and developments on the next event.