JEDDAH — The sixth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition opened on Sunday at Jeddah Superdome, bringing together more than 520 entities from the government, private and non-profit sectors from within Saudi Arabia and abroad. Organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in cooperation with the Pilgrim Experience Program, a Saudi Vision 2030 program, the four-day event is being held under the theme “From Makkah to the World,” reflecting the Saudi leadership’s continued commitment to serving pilgrims.
The exhibition, with participation and attendance from over 150 countries, would cover more than 67,000 square meters and feature more than 15 major zones and programs covering operations, knowledge exchange, technology, business, innovation, awareness, and training.
The conference is part of early preparations for the Hajj season of 2027, bringing together Hajj affairs offices, service providers, and relevant authorities to finalize procedures, arrangements, and contracts; explore available services and solutions for the upcoming season; and discuss ways to enhance readiness and improve services for pilgrims.
The conference program is organized around three main tracks: infrastructure and operational services; empowerment and integration; and development and sustainability.
The event showcases services and solutions across transportation, accommodation, catering, healthcare and technology, highlighting some of the arrangements that begin several months before the arrival of the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
These day-to-day details offer a glimpse into the pilgrim’s journey before arrival, bringing together travel, aviation, accommodation, catering and healthcare services. The exhibition enables participating entities to learn about one another’s needs and explore opportunities for cooperation, while the business center provides a setting for professional meetings, contract finalization, and agreement signing.
The innovation and technology spaces bring together innovators and service providers, linking proposed solutions to the actual challenges encountered during the pilgrim’s journey. The exhibition also features training and qualification programs to enhance staff readiness and their ability to deliver services.
The event provides a platform for innovators to connect with the entities responsible for developing and operating Hajj services, opening up opportunities to address pilgrims’ needs while traveling and provide them with information at different stages of their journey.
The Innovation Zone, the hackathon and the Technology Oasis bring together field experience and the expertise of innovators, entrepreneurs and technology companies to examine challenges and showcase solutions that address pilgrims’ needs. These encounters allow ideas to be tested in their intended operating environments, while direct engagement with service providers helps innovators understand operational requirements and explore opportunities to deploy technologies and digital solutions to improve the pilgrim journey, from planning crowd movements to facilitating access to information and services.
These spaces form part of a broader conference approach that links innovation to real needs and strengthens cooperation among researchers, technology specialists, and service providers, supporting the development of solutions that address real-world challenges facing the Hajj ecosystem.
By bringing together challenges identified by field workers and ideas put forward by innovators, the exhibition offers an opportunity to build partnerships that turn knowledge and technology into services pilgrims can experience through a smoother, higher-quality journey.
Source: Saudi Gazette