The move places artificial intelligence, cyber-physical security, critical infrastructure resilience, predictive risk management and next-generation fire protection at the centre of the Riyadh event, scheduled for 16–18 November 2026 at Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center. Organisers expect the eighth edition to be the largest in the event’s history, with more than 25,000 visitors and over 500 exhibitors from across security, safety, fire and emergency services.
The Future Security Summit Advisory Committee includes representatives linked to the Royal Commission for AlUla, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, the International Civil Aviation Organization, Dubai Airports, IFPO MENASA, King Salman International Airport and specialist security consultancies. Its remit is to frame discussions on protecting public spaces, aviation systems, smart-city infrastructure, major events, logistics corridors and digital environments where physical and cyber risks increasingly overlap.
The Fire Protection & Technology Summit Advisory Committee brings together specialists from Saudi Aramco, Red Sea Global, Qiddiya City, King Fahd International Airport, AECOM, the National Water Company, NEOM and other fire and life-safety organisations. The committee’s work is expected to shape sessions on performance-based fire engineering, detection and suppression technology, emergency response, code compliance and protection of large-scale developments.
Riham Sedik, exhibition director of Intersec Saudi Arabia, said the committees bring together professionals with decades of operational, strategic and technical experience across security, emergency management, fire protection and resilience. Their role, she said, would help ensure that the summits address real operational challenges while giving delegates practical insight into the technologies, frameworks and leadership strategies shaping the sectors.
The advisory structure reflects a wider shift in the region’s risk environment. Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure pipeline spans tourism, aviation, energy, logistics, entertainment and urban development, with projects such as Red Sea Global, Qiddiya, NEOM, Diriyah and AlUla placing new demands on safety, security and business-continuity planning. The country is also preparing for Expo 2030 in Riyadh, the 2034 FIFA World Cup and the annual Hajj pilgrimage, each requiring layered security, crowd management, emergency response and transport coordination.
Yusuf Hasan, senior aviation security adviser at the International Civil Aviation Organization and a member of the Future Security Summit Advisory Committee, has identified the management of rapid growth while preserving secure, resilient and trusted environments as a key challenge for the region. He said artificial intelligence was accelerating the move from reactive protection to predictive, intelligence-led security through stronger threat detection, analytics and automation.
That emphasis is likely to feature prominently in the Future Security Summit, where themes include command-and-control systems, personal data protection, industrial control-system cybersecurity, crisis and emergency management, critical-infrastructure protection and protection of mega-events. The agenda also points to the increasing relevance of cyber-physical convergence, as airports, energy assets, real estate developments and public venues rely on connected surveillance, access-control, communications and building-management platforms.
Fire protection is moving through a similar transition. Dr Reginald D. Freeman, executive director for fire and emergency medical services at NEOM and a member of the fire summit committee, has said the sector is shifting from traditional code compliance towards risk-informed, performance-based fire engineering. He said the complexity of modern mega-projects required more sophisticated fire and life-safety approaches, with greater emphasis on anticipating risk and strengthening resilience rather than simply responding after incidents occur.
Market indicators underline the commercial stakes behind the conference agenda. Saudi Arabia’s security market is projected to reach about $3.4 billion by 2030, supported by demand for integrated physical security, cybersecurity, surveillance, access control and command-and-control solutions. The country’s fire and safety equipment market is projected to expand to about $7.1 billion by 2032 as construction, industrial development, regulatory enforcement and smart-building systems increase spending on prevention, detection and suppression technologies.
Intersec Saudi Arabia’s 2026 expansion follows the relocation of the event to Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center and a planned 40 per cent increase in exhibition space. Organisers have positioned the show across five core sectors: commercial and perimeter security, homeland security and policing, cybersecurity, fire and rescue, and safety and health. The two CPD-certified conference streams are expected to convene more than 110 experts, policymakers and industry leaders.
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