National Events Center

What National Events Center does

The National Events Center (المركز الوطني للفعاليات, NEC) is a Saudi Arabian government entity established by Cabinet decree on 10 March 2020, headquartered in Riyadh and organizationally linked to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. Its mandate is to strengthen the Kingdom's events sector, support Saudi seasons (Jeddah, Riyadh, Diriyah, National Day), and develop services for major events as part of Vision 2030 objectives. The center operates with independent legal personality and full financial and administrative autonomy.

The center's core offering is an integrated digital ecosystem comprising four principal platforms: Enjaz (منصة انجز), a unified licensing platform for entertainment, sports, cultural, exhibition, and conference activities coordinated with relevant regulatory bodies; Matloob (منصة مطلوب), a digital marketplace connecting content creators and service providers with executing bodies; the Saudi Events mobile app, which aggregates the National Calendar and ticketing access; and an Open Data Portal exposing sector-wide attendance, sponsorship, and permit datasets via Open API in JSON, CSV, Excel, and PDF formats. Supporting capabilities include the Portables Platform for asset management and disposal, the EventTech Talks forum for sector digital innovation, and the Event Pioneers graduate training program delivered in partnership with MISK Foundation, EHL Hospitality Business School, and MIT.

The revenue model combines government budget appropriations with tiered sponsorship sales (Strategic, Main, Premium, Gold, Silver, Media). The go-to-market is government-led, working directly with ministries and regulatory bodies to issue activity licenses, with a dedicated partnerships team managing sponsorship relationships. Primary customers are government ministries and entities, private-sector event organizers, event sponsors, educational institutions, and recent graduates entering the sector. No public pricing is disclosed, and no revenue figures are published.

Name

National Events Center

Legal name

National Events Center (المركز الوطني للفعاليات)

Website

https://nec.gov.sa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Events Center is a Saudi government entity, established by Cabinet decree in 2020, that regulates, licenses, and coordinates Saudi Arabia's national events sector through integrated digital platforms (Enjaz, Matloob, Saudi Events App) and serves ministries, private organizers, sponsors, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Event Coordination Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Government & Public Sector Conferences (MPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Government event licensing
• National events coordination
• Event sector regulation
• Sponsorship management services
• Public events calendar

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: The center generates revenue through tiered sponsorship packages for Saudi seasons, including Strategic Sponsor (exclusive naming rights for games and area branches), Main Sponsor (TV branding, digital data, hospitality, tickets), Premium Sponsor (branding, TV/media channels, digital data, revenue-generating assets, naming rights), and Gold/Silver tiers.
2. Government Budget: Government-funded entity established by Cabinet resolution, operating with administrative and financial independence, linked to the Council of Economic and Development Affairs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Events Center is a Saudi government entity that issues activity licenses for entertainment, sports, cultural, exhibition, and conference events through the Enjaz digital platform. It coordinates the national events calendar, including flagship Saudi seasons such as Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season, and connects event organizers, sponsors, suppliers, and content creators through the Matloob platform and the Saudi Events mobile application. It also develops the events-sector workforce via the Event Pioneers graduate program and the Cooperative Training Program.

Product overview

The National Events Center (NEC) operates a multi-platform digital ecosystem centered on the Saudi Events mobile application (تطبيق فعاليات السعودية), which serves as the unified gateway to the National Calendar and all event ticket platforms across Saudi Arabia. The ecosystem is built around several interconnected digital platforms: the Enjaz platform (منصة أنجز) for unified event licensing and regulatory coordination; the Matloob platform (منصة مطلوب) as a comprehensive digital marketplace connecting content creators, service providers, and executing bodies; the Open Data Portal (البيانات المفتوحة) providing programmatic API access to event datasets in multiple formats; the Portables Platform (منصة المنقولات) for managing and disposing of movable event assets; and the National Calendar (التقويم الوطني) as the authoritative event scheduling reference. These are complemented by talent development programs — Event Pioneers (برنامج رواد الفعاليات) and the Cooperative Training Program — sponsorship packages, and the EventTech Forum, all designed to support Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 objectives across the entertainment, sports, tourism, and cultural sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Anjaz (انجز): Unified digital platform for facilitating and accelerating the provision of electronic services for the events sector, including issuing licenses for entertainment, sports, cultural, exhibition, and conference activities.
• Matloob (مطلوب)
• Saudi Events App (تطبيق فعاليات السعودية)
• Event Pioneers (رواد الفعاليات)
• EventTech Talks

Products and services

• Enjaz Platform (منصة أنجز) Unified digital platform that facilitates and accelerates the delivery of electronic services for the events sector, including the issuance of activity licenses for entertainment, sports, cultural, exhibitions, and conferences. Used by event organizers and coordinated with regulatory bodies.
• Matloob Platform (منصة مطلوب) Comprehensive digital marketplace that enables stakeholders — content creators, service providers, and executing bodies — to integrate and maximize the events sector's investment attractiveness across all Saudi seasons.
• Saudi Events App (تطبيق فعاليات السعودية) Mobile application that consolidates Saudi Arabia's events into a single gateway, providing access to the National Calendar, diverse Saudi seasons, major events, and integrated ticket sales platforms for end consumers.
• Event Pioneers Program (برنامج رواد الفعاليات)

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ million media impressions across Saudi seasons
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Yamama University (جامعة اليمامة)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Memorandum of understanding signed for developing national cadres and enhancing capabilities in the events sector. Focus on training and capacity building for Saudi nationals entering the events industry.
• King Saud University (جامعة الملك سعود)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Specialized workshop provided for university students to enhance visitor experience in events. Part of the center's community engagement and talent development initiatives.
• MISK Foundation (مؤسسة مسك)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership through the Event Pioneers program. Misk Traineeship Program collaboration for recent graduates in the events sector.
• EHL Hospitality Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational educational partner providing hospitality management courses for Event Pioneers program participants. Courses focus on best practices in hospitality applied to event experiences.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation courses provided to Event Pioneers program participants, focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation methodologies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eventbrite: Self-service event ticketing and management platform aggregating events nationally — directly comparable to the consumer-facing Saudi Events App and Open Data Portal. Operates a digital marketplace model similar to Matloob's supplier coordination approach.
• Cvent: Enterprise event management platform covering registration, logistics, and attendee engagement — closely parallel to NEC's Enjaz licensing and platform coordination role for B2B event organizers in Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Conventions & Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA): Saudi government regulator for the conventions and exhibitions sector, directly comparable to NEC's mandate to coordinate and license events. Both operate as Saudi state entities aligning with Vision 2030, with SCEGA focusing on the conventions/exhibitions subset that NEC also regulates via Enjaz.
• General Entertainment Authority (GEA): Saudi government body responsible for developing the entertainment sector, with overlapping regulatory coordination of entertainment events that NEC also licenses. Comparable as Vision 2030-aligned state entity shaping Saudi entertainment policy and infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Bizzabo: Event experience platform with strong digital, analytics, and registration capabilities — comparable to NEC's evolving platform stack and EventTech innovation agenda, particularly for organizer-side tooling.
• Hubilo: Event platform with attendee engagement and analytics focus, partially comparable to NEC's data and licensing platforms. Represents the private-sector event-tech challenger whose capabilities NEC must keep pace with.

Others

• Misk Foundation: Saudi non-profit foundation focused on youth development and capacity building, directly partnered with NEC on the Event Pioneers program. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler whose mission (Saudi talent development) overlaps with NEC's workforce mandate.

Regional players

• Saudi Tourism Authority: National tourism promotion body aligned with Vision 2030, comparable in mandate to drive sector demand and coordinate with private stakeholders. While focused on tourism broadly, its events and seasons overlap with NEC's national calendar responsibilities.
• MDLBeast (Soundstorm / Riyadh Season): Saudi-headquartered entertainment company producing flagship music festivals and operating within the Riyadh Season ecosystem that NEC coordinates. Directly comparable as a major event organizer/sponsor interacting with NEC's licensing and national calendar.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Global live entertainment and ticketing incumbent with vertically integrated event promotion, venue operations, and sponsorship sales. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in concert/festival/sponsorship ecosystems that NEC oversees at the Saudi national level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nec_saudi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Saudi_NEC
• Facebookfacebook.com/Eventscenterksa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/events-center-sa
• Instagraminstagram.com/nec.saudi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Events Center