Organizers of Saudi tech event emphasize 2026 launch of LEAP East in Hong Kong to unlock regional capital

The organizers of a leading Saudi Arabian tech conference that is set to expand to Hong Kong next year hope the debut event will unlock cross-border capital, accelerate the digital transformation across industries, and boost Saudi-China ties.

LEAP East will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKEC) from July 8-10, 2026, as announced in February.

It will be the first Asia-Pacific event for LEAP — or Leading Edge Advancement and Progress — an annual tech conference backed by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) and Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.

To the organizers, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region launch underscores Riyadh's strategic focus on collaboration with Asia brought by the wave of its deepening strategic engagement with China and Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 economic diversification mandate.

Tahaluf — a joint venture between London-based Informa PLC and the SAFCSP — and EWPartners, a Riyadh-based global investment firm focused on bridging Asia and the Middle East market, have teamed up to bring LEAP to the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Annabelle Mander, executive vice-president of Tahaluf and co-creator of LEAP, said that the participation of Chinese companies had been encouraging since LEAP launched in 2021.

"It's not just the exhibiting companies. We've seen strong delegations come over. We have great speakers that come over from the (Chinese mainland), even in our AI programs, we've seen a lot of really strong Chinese representation at (LEAP's AI sister event) DeepFest," Mander said in an exclusive interview with China Daily on May 29.

"And we're really looking at robotics, the future of AI (artificial intelligence) … the relation there is very strong and I only see that growing significantly over the next few years," Mander said, speaking at an event to open the EWPartners Hong Kong office.

She cited the visit of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to LEAP in February 2023.

Mander said Hong Kong is the perfect LEAP East host as the city "is such an international base" where individuals fly in from around the world to conduct business because of its "incredible access" to the Chinese mainland.

"If you combine that with the strength of Saudi Arabia, their spending ability, and the rest of the Middle East, you've almost got two perfect locations, which I think, in some ways, share so many similarities in terms of (their) very strong ambitions," said Mander.

Since its first event in Riyadh in 2021, LEAP has rapidly become the world's fastest-scaling tech event.

This year, it attracted over 215,000 attendees, more than 1,800 exhibitors, and over 1,600 investors, clinching $14.9 billion in deals. In 2025 alone, the Feb 9-12 event generated an estimated economic impact of $820 million.

Mander said Tahaluf takes "very conservative figures when we look at economic impact". However, she said the post-event report this year indicated LEAP had a minimum of $820 million impact across its four days in Riyadh.

With its expansion to the Asia-Pacific, Mander said she is optimistic that LEAP East will carry this momentum to Hong Kong.

LEAP East is expected to welcome over 25,000 visitors from across Asia-Pacific, featuring more than 200 high-profile speakers.

These include Luanne Lim, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong; Jeanne Lim, founder and CEO of beingAI and co-creator of Sophia the Robot; and Harry Man, founding partner of Matrix Partners.

The event will also host some 300 exhibitors spanning AI, fintech, healthtech, deeptech, and more, alongside dedicated investment zones, startup showcases, and high-impact networking experiences.

"When you have events or brands that take place in certain countries, that host country reaps so many benefits," said Mander.

She said they look at the benefits from a lot of different angles, including business tourism and, more importantly, the business that LEAP will generate when it is in Hong Kong.

China is the ideal place to engage with because it is "so advanced" and you can see "everything that's taking place at the moment in terms of their technological advancements", Mander said.

"We really want to see that representation here at LEAP East. We really want to see the best of their showcases here. We also know that Hong Kong by itself is an incredible opportunity to showcase," she said.

"If you combine that with what Saudi Arabia are able to bring in, the strength, the ability to talk about the future of technology, you bring all of that together in one key location, which is Hong Kong, there's going to be phenomenal outcomes," said Mander.

She also noted that the visions of both China and Saudi Arabia are very ambitious.

"That ambition can only be met through technological advancements, but also by having the right partners," Mander said.

"So, I believe very much we've got the right partners here in Hong Kong, we've got the right partners in Saudi Arabia, and that's going to allow us access and give us the ability to tap into the Chinese mainland, as well," she added.

"So that's why LEAP East is going to be such a strong platform. It's really the bridge, the connection, and it's the right location."