MAI ALHELABI

“In 2018, the idea of having a concert in Saudi was a dream, and many of us didn’t believe it was true until it happened,” says Mai Alhelabi of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports. Since Saudi Arabia’s first-ever concert was held at the 2018 Diriyah ePrix (also marking the MENA region’s first Formula E race), sports and music have gone hand-in-hand in developing the Kingdom’s entertainment, culture, and tourism events. This synthesis was discussed in the XP Music Futures, Day Program session Sports x Music: Drivers of Growth. Multi-platinum DJ and producer R3HAB sat down with Saudi Arabia’s General Manager for Sports Events, Mai Alhelabi, and fellow panelists Balich Wonder Studio’s Stefania Garibaldi and Sajid Sayeed, Event Director for Saudi Motorsport.

Sporting and music events both center on entertainment, collective experience, and storytelling—and, when combined, create an even more immersive audience experience. They also bridge different communities, bringing sports and music-specific fan bases. For largescale international productions, these events offer a new platform for artists and sporting culture and encourage tourism.

R3HAB discussed how music and sports could complement one another, from creating cinematic, epic moments out of virtuosic physical accomplishment (“think about legendary melodies in sports films, like Rocky”)—to building immersive experiences that extend audience experience well beyond a single sporting match. He observed that Saudi Arabia’s weather gives the territory an opportunity to establish itself on the worldwide music itinerary. When colder temperatures are a challenge for festival production in the Northern Hemisphere, XP Music Futures and Soundstorm could become the go-to global destination for DJs and artists late in the year.

To date, the results have been promising. Alhelabi explains, “as we become more knowledgeable about running large-scale events, our audiences’ expectations also grow. They care about who is in the lineup and the quality of their experience.” By developing the niche between sports and music, organizers can help pave the way for Saudi Arabia to lead in the music, sports, and entertainment industries globally.

RETHINK EVENT-TOURISM

Scout unique locations such as remote desert spots to host events. The Traveling Panther is creating a ground-breaking collaboration of ecologically friendly tourism and experience design, reinventing the idea of local venues.

CREATE (AND DISCOVER) NEW PLATFORMS FOR REGIONAL CONVERSATIONS

Rhea Chedid and Marilyn Zakhour grew up between Lebanon, Canada, and the US. Bridging these worlds, they joined forces to produce Who Run The World, an award-winning weekly podcast that explores what it’s like being an Arab woman through conversations between women from across the region and the world.

Discover The Story Behind The Sound

Providing the scene with news, reviews, features, and event coverage is MENA’s leading Englishlanguage music platform, SceneNoise. Music journalists nurture genuine relationships with music industry professionals and newcomers to uncover stories behind the scene.

Return To Your Roots

Located in AlMalaz, an old, residential neighborhood in Riyadh, KSA, El Beit Artist House is a private space for artists, creatives, and musicians to experiment, connect, inspire and create. “A place outside of the festivals, outside of the conferences, something that is a bit more grassroots, to feel at home essentially,” says Riyadh-based MDLBEAST Senior Creative Strategist Haya Shaath.

Book Local Emerging Artists

Give new and emerging artists a platform to showcase their talent, build an audience, and evolve as musicians. Local music ecosystems grow from community engagement, drawing in local talent and creating opportunity.

Create More Venues

To grow a thriving music scene in Saudi Arabia, a legal framework must be established to allow small and medium-sized venues to host public events. As madhaūs founder Moe puts it, “the venue is the core of our industry.”

Establish Nighttime Governance

PRIORITIZE WELL-BEING FOCUSSED EVENTS AND INITIATIVES

Harness the opportunity to become a world leader in alcohol-free events and facilitate initiatives to increase nighttime safety and dance floor etiquette within the music industry. Grassroots and smaller events and spaces are pioneering nightlife experiences that are safe and inclusive. Accordingly, look to these operators for education and initiatives to expand into larger-scale and mainstream events. Expand the focus on mental health and well-being by building on sessions such as those initiated by Mindsai and Raw Escapes at XP 2022, where live music fuses with wellness for healing, connection, and creative expression.

Start A Collective

Inspired by XP21, cultural and music collective Karaz is providing unique and alternative artists with a safe space to create, experiment, and connect. “Something I really enjoyed,” emphasizes founder HH Prince Fahad Bin Faisal, “is watching artists go from competitors to collaborators. Once you take that edge off and allow people to be themselves, that births a lot of collective effort, trial, and error.”

“Government bodies and the local private event organizers must work closely to establish regulations that are somewhat adjustable in order to promote more safety and at the same time ensure that there is flexibility,” says Tamer Antabi, co-founder of Noctuary (KSA).

Recognize The Power Of Community

Community helps create careers and opportunities. From meeting other artists to collaborate with, connecting with producers, promoters, or agents to developing a fan base, building strong community ties has the power to establish and sustain successful careers.

Connect And Elevate Artists Locally

Start a community radio platform based in MENA to support local and regional upcoming artists, producers, and DJs to develop an audience. MDLBBEAST is pioneering this approach with MDLBEAST RADIO releasing its first eight episodes in 2022 and BEAST FREQUENCIES, which launched in 2020.