The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Development in Saudi Arabia is fueled by the world’s largest petroleum reserves and is centered around carefully planned industrial cities, strategically located throughout the Kingdom. Specific opportunities exist for both direct investors and suppliers in oil and gas extraction; minerals; construction; chemicals and petrochemicals; rubber and plastics; concrete;industrial and commercial machinery; transportation equipment, and a range of business services including engineering, accounting, industrial development and finance.

The petroleum sector is key: Oil production is about 8 million barrels per day. A massive capital investment program is now underway to upgrade production and refining capacities. Current public sector projects include telecommunications, power generation, water desalination, airport improvements and public transport. Opportunities for privatization of parts of the utility sector are increasing.

An April 2000 Royal proclamation relaxes foreign investment laws for strategic industries. Other incentives for foreign business development include 10-year tax holidays, low-cost loans and customs exemptions. All of these issues and more will be explored in detail with the responsible government officials during the conference.

Jubail Industrial City

Jubail Industrial City is located on the Arabian Gulf north of historic Al-Jubail and 65 miles (100 km) northwest of Dammam. Jubail and its sister-city on the Red Sea, Yanbu, are cornerstones of Saudi Arabia’s drive towards industrialization. An estimated $13 billion will be invested in Jubail and Yanbu in new industries and infrastructure in the next five to ten years. In Jubail, more than $45 billion has already been invested in infrastructure and industrial facilities over the past 20 years. An industrial showcase, Jubail is now home to 17 major, primary industrial (natural-resource-based) facilities and approximately 150 secondary, support and light manufacturing operations.

Al Jubail Inter-Continental Hotel

The official hotel is the five-star Al Jubail Inter-Continental Hotel, located on the beach amidst four acres of private gardens. Facilities include a business center, fitness center/spa, five specialty restaurants and a private beach offering a range of water sports. Room costs vary; a double room at the conference rate is $125/night. Hotel registration forms will be sent upon receipt of conference registration.

Fanateer Cultural Center

Conference sessions take place at the newly renovated Fanateer Cultural Center (right) in Jubail Industrial City, which is only minutes from the headquarters hotel.

General Information

Time zone: Eastern Standard Time plus eight hours; GMT +3
Exchange rate: Approximately 3.75 Saudi riyals to the U.S. dollar
Climate: Jubail’s temperature range in November averages highs of 85F/30C and lows of 50F/10C with very little, if any, rainfall.

Saudi Arabia: Major Investment Opportunities in the 21st Century is the ninth GSPC (Global Super Projects Conference) event sponsored by the World Development Federation. WDF’s “GSPC” and “International Business Development Conferences,” hosted by national or regional sponsors, establish a creative marketplace and information exchange designed to identify the specific market, regulatory, structural, and cultural requirements for doing business within any host region, while providing the platform for the identification and investigation of emerging business opportunities.

WDF brings together financing, new business development, business expansion and support industry segments in a forum that combines a pre-qualified geo-economic venue, a broad and diverse range of business interests and a “hands-on” approach to business development. This facilitation is a novel approach to developing new business that directly benefits the host economic region and establishes the networking and relationships critically important in pursuing emerging opportunities of any scale.

WDF was founded in 1991 by McKinley Conway, a futurist and international economic development expert, who also founded the International Development Research Council. He is publisher of Site Selection magazine and chairman of Conway Data Inc., an international publishing, association management and consulting firm that maintains sitenet.com, the development industry’s portal on the world wide web.

Numerous global organizations endorse WDF’s goals to provide information, networking and educational opportunities that help project participants structure developments that improve quality of life, enhance the environment and contribute to effective economic development.