Shaping Mega Projects 2026 Opens in Riyadh as Saudi Arabia’s Leaders Make the Investment Case for Vision 2030

More than 300 delegates welcomed on Day One of the event.

Shaping Mega Projects 2026 (SMP 2026) opened today at The Venue by ROSHN Group, bringing together the developers, investors and delivery partners behind Saudi Arabia’s giga and mega project pipeline.

Day One, themed Saudi Al-Mustaqbal:

Turning Vision 2030 into Value, put the investment case centre stage, with leaders from Diriyah Company, Red Sea Global, King Salman Park Foundation and the National Centre for Privatization & PPP (NCP) setting out where capital is flowing and where the market can engage.

Where the investment windows are opening

The Leaders Vision Panel, moderated by MEED’s Ed James, opened the debate on where new investment windows are emerging across construction, energy, manufacturing, logistics, tourism and the digital economy. Panellists were Diriyah Company’s Mohamed Saad, President of DevCo; King Salman Park Foundation’s Dale Chadwick, Acting CEO; and Red Sea Global’s Ben Edwards, Group Head of Cost, Commercial & Procurement.

The Big Discussion then examined how public and private capital can be mobilised through financing models, PPPs and blended finance. NCP’s Tariq Alghaziri, EVP, joined Mott MacDonald’s Jonathan Looker, ROSHN Group’s Hesham Ouf, Knight Frank’s Wesley Thomson and Qatar Exports Company’s Ali Al-Kuwari.

From vision to delivery

Attention then moved from strategy to delivery. ROSHN Group’s Roger Fatovic, Group Chief Projects Delivery Officer, joined MEED Editor in Chief Colin Foreman for a fireside chat on the Group’s pipeline, delivery priorities and the next wave of construction, infrastructure and development opportunities. He spoke directly about how the business is now nurturing relationships with local suppliers and manufacturers in order to avoid supply chain issues, and plan to increase this further.

Diriyah Company’s Josep Forroll, Chief Development Strategy Officer, presented the destination’s shift from vision to delivery, including next-phase milestones and where contractors, consultants and investors can engage. Explaining that to date, they have become one of the largest real estate developers in Saudi Arabia, accounting for 16bn SAR in sales to date. He also spoke to the Diriyah projects that have already been delivered including the golf course, experience centre and Bujairi Terrace – which has already welcomed almost 6m visitors.

Red Sea Global’s Ben Edwards followed with an update on Red Sea Global and AMAALA, covering the latest development activity, upcoming procurement packages and opportunities across the wider destination ecosystem. Edwards highlighted the scale and progress of the developments, including the opening of resorts and supporting infrastructure at The Red Sea, the continued development of Shura Island, and the opening and upcoming pipeline of hotels and other assets at AMAALA. He also highlighted Red Sea International Airport, which is now operational and serving the Red Sea destination, as well as the development of residential, marina, golf, retail and community infrastructure across the portfolio.

Opening the pipeline to the market

SMP 2026’s marketplace formats put procurement teams directly in front of the supply chain. Meet the Procurement Leaders, hosted by ModeScore’s Charles Phillips and Mace Consult’s Jade Marjurum, brought together procurement and commercial leaders from NCP, ROSHN Group, Red Sea Global, Soudah Development, Qiddiya and New Murabba. NCP’s legal specialists also led a workshop on the Saudi legal framework for Private Sector Participation projects, while ROSHN Group’s Bandar Almaqait, Senior Manager of Supply Chain, led a deep dive into the Group’s project pipeline and procurement opportunities.

Looking forward to Day Two, the dialogue moves to Executing Vision at Scale, and speakers from the Kingdom’s landmark event-driven projects, including Expo 2030 Riyadh, Sports Boulevard Foundation and the Jeddah Economic Company, speaking on Jeddah Economic City and Jeddah Tower.