The Creative Industry Summit (C-S) will be hosting its next edition in KSA this year. The previous edition was held in Cairo and was supported by the strategic partner Heartwork innovated by Mountain View and prominent partnerships with Balaconah, the sole creative platform in Saudi Arabia, C-S 2021. The event showcased inspiring creative expertise, allowing attendees, from students to CEOs, to exchange experiences.

In an exclusive interview, Mai Salama, Founding Partner of the Creative Industry Summit highlights the key takeaways of the summit held in Cairo and the expected topics of coverage for the upcoming summit to be held in KSA.

In the image above: Mai Salama, Founding Partner, Creative Industry Summit

What were the highlights of the summit that was held in Cairo?

Creative Industry Summit 2021 was our come back after COVID. We were adamant on creating our biggest festival yet, with a 4-day celebration of a variety of tracks all discussing topics related to the creative economy. From policymakers to local and regional experts. Between artists, singers, actors, rappers, and comedians, creating a fusion of talents. From startups to corporates, agencies, NGOs, and CSR; Creative Industry Summit was the hub for connecting people to a wide and never-ending horizon.

Our 12th edition highlighted our most valued and distinguishing mission, which is shaping the future of the creative economy in the MENA region. We are proud to host a creative economy dialogue, which encompasses all sectors and aspects that are combined to improve the threshold of creativity. This edition had a multitude of sections dedicated to allowing individuals to connect, network, and hold meetings throughout the summit, we even hosted exclusive music performances and exhibitions.

 Moreover, the summit portrayed more than 24 tracks featuring over 50-panel discussions and several workshops covering an abundance of subjects including sustainability, mental wellness, e-gamming, physical sports, e-commerce, technology, fashion, art, advertising, marketing, media, film, acting, women empowerment, entrepreneurship, and many more!

What topics will the summit soon happening in the KSA be covering?

Our 13^th edition will be happening in Riyadh.  It will highlight how Egypt is at the epicenter of creative minds in the MENA region, being considered as an eye-opener to the world of creativity and enterprise in various spheres and categories. Our theme for the upcoming summit will be Egyptian Creativity Goes to KSA – from Cairo to Riyadh, a creative “heart to heart” association between Egypt and KSA.

We aim to extend our network, by bringing together advertising, communication, and marketing professionals from both the Kingdom and Egypt. Stories and case studies from across the creative industry will be featured in talks, exhibitions, workshops, networking events, etc.

Our Riyadh edition is created in collaboration with Balaconah – Riyadh’s platform for creative marketing and communication responsible for local and regional databases – along with the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce. This edition will discuss marketing, content creation, advertising, and media in detail.

With the changing face of Saudi’s cultural and creative scene, what are you expecting from the upcoming summit in KSA?

With every new edition of the Creative Industry Summit, we are committed to becoming a catalyst in the cultivation of culture and creativity in the region. We are very proud to see Creative Industry Summit putting its very first step toward spreading its infotainment content and expanding partnerships with other Arab countries. The cultural change in Saudi Arabia has opened new horizons to the creative scene in the region, we are expecting the Saudi attendees to connect, network, and exchange their experiences and accomplishments with their Egyptian counterparts in one of the most high-spirited environments. We can’t wait to inspire and encourage all people with new ideas to pioneer their areas and stimulate the growth of the creative scene in the Arab world. Throughout this fruitful cooperation, we encourage expertise and knowledge transfer from Egypt to KSA, reinforcing our leading creativity platform and inspiring attendees to work on promoting a creative economy in the region.

Do you think the edition was different from those held before the pandemic? If so, why and how?

Even though the pandemic imposed many challenges, we have learned to seize an opportunity no matter what! Thus, we hosted our 2020 edition as a full-on virtual experience, curated in a way to give the conference experience while the world was stuck at home. In the 2021 edition, we offered our boldest hybrid edition, providing both physical and virtual attendance options for our speakers, we were able to add an attractive list of exclusive and valuable names -who joined as virtual speakers- to the agenda. Finally, we constantly closed every day with a live entertainment performance giving leeway for the attendees and viewers to log out from the event on a high note.

We had attendees from 17 countries across the Middle East, Europe & America, successfully making our summit one of the most recognizable in the region.