Rules for holding conferences inside the Kingdom

When thinking about holding conferences inside the Kingdom. You must first look at the legal conditions and controls enacted by the law and put in place to organize the process of holding events and conferences there. In these lines, we learn about the rules and conditions that must be viewed and adhered to when organizing an event in the Kingdom.

General Conditions

• It is forbidden to hold conferences in the Kingdom of all kinds without a license from the program.
• Islamic values, legal controls, and general systems in the Kingdom must be preserved during the implementation of the conference.
• The Arabic language shall be the official language of the conference and other languages may be used, provided that simultaneous interpretation of the Arabic language is provided.
• That the conference be named with an appropriate name that is compatible with the Arabic language and public morals while adhering to all intellectual rights according to the applicable regulations. It is permissible to add an abbreviated name to the conference in Arabic and English.
• The number of conference attendees must not be less than (50) persons.
• The capacity of the applicant (organizer) for conference licensing must be one of the following categories:

1. Companies or establishments licensed to practice the activity of holding and organizing conferences provided that their license and commercial registration upon submission and the time of holding the conference are valid.
2. Licensed professional, medical, scientific, private, charitable, or cooperative societies.
3. Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
4. Public or private universities.

• It is prohibited to carry out any promotional activities for the conference, including advertising in all its forms. Before obtaining the initial approval of the conference from the program.
• Initial approval or conference license may not be assigned or sold to third parties, and conference supply or marketing services may be subcontracted to other organizations.
• The program does not bear any responsibility, whether moral or financial or the like, in the event that the organizer fails to implement the rules and procedures governing conferences.

Time and place of the conference

1. The duration of the conference should not be less than four hours and not more than seven days.
2. Restricting the holding of the conference in independent conference halls or inside universities, halls inside hotels, and halls for social events licensed by the program.
3. Conference halls, events, or hotel halls may not allow conferences to be held in them unless they are licensed by the program, and a text must be included in the contracts concluded between these places and conference organizers to rent the place as a condition of obtaining the official license from the program.
4. The conference may be held in temporary facilities that comply with the requirements of civil defense, in cities and governorates where conference rooms are not available after a license from the program.

Conference program

• A supervisor responsible for the scientific program should be appointed with experience in the subject of the conference.
• The conference program must be prepared on a scientific basis to ensure the delivery of the objective set for it.
• Conference speakers must be carefully selected and their data recorded in the program. When selecting speakers, the following must be ensured:

1. He should not have security precedents or declared reservations.
2. Be of good conduct.
3. He should be competent or experienced in the field he is going to talk about.

• During the conference, it is forbidden to offend any of the state’s symbols or policies or engage in any political, security, tribal, or sectarian matters that stir up strife and strife in society or lead to a disturbance of public order.
• All rights and intellectual property systems approved in the Kingdom must be adhered to when organizing the conference.

Events accompanying the conference

• It is permissible to hold social, cultural, or entertainment events accompanying the conference, taking into account the approved regulations for licensing such events according to their type.
• The conference may be accompanied by an exhibition dedicated to sponsors, supporters, and collaborators only, and in the event that the conference is accompanied by a trade fair or a consumer goods exhibition, the organizer must obtain an independent license to hold the exhibition, and in this case, it is called (Multaqa).
• Opening and closing ceremonies may be held for the conference.
• The accompanying events may not exceed the conference to be implemented.
• Tourist programs may be organized for visitors in the region where the conference is held and within the cities of the Kingdom in cooperation with tourism organizing organizations and tour guides licensed by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

Conference management

Taking into account the implementation of the regulations of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the requirements for localization of jobs announced by the Ministry or those announced by the official authorities when holding the conference.

Finding a registration platform or electronic system for registering participants in the conference that includes registering the name, entity, job, and contact information, and it is forbidden to participate in the conference without registration.

All sessions and lectures held in the conference must be videotaped, and the program must be provided with a copy of this documentation if requested, within a period not exceeding two years from the date of the conference.

All employees, speakers, and visitors participating in the conference are obliged to hang identification cards showing their name, job, and the entity in which he works.

An office must be provided for the executive management of the conference in which telephone, fax, and Internet services are available, and the organizer must provide an official presence in this office during the conference working hours.

Providing a first aid room and an ambulance officer throughout the working hours of the conference in the event that the number of attendees exceeds 200 people.

Dedicating a place for information and answering the inquiries of conference visitors.

Providing a box to receive the complaints and suggestions of the conference visitors.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in all conference facilities, clear “No Smoking” signs are posted, and a smoking area is designated in the conference courtyard.

Allocating an area for men and women to perform the obligatory prayer, and stopping conference activities during prayer periods.

Providing a website for the conference.

The gifts distributed in the conference should be, as far as possible, from Saudi handicraft products.

The initial approval or program license number should be displayed on all advertising and marketing materials for the conference.

Closing and evaluating the conference

The organizer is obliged to terminate the conference shall be within the specified time according to the license, and a report shall be submitted within a month from the date of the end of the conference to the program. This detailed program of the conference shall be attached to the report. The report shall include the following:

• The actual conference start and end date.
• The number of speakers at the conference and their names.
• The number of people who worked in organizing the conference.
• The number of exhibitors participating in the exhibition accompanying the conference, a list of the names of the sponsors of the conference.
• The total attendance of the conference from inside and outside the Kingdom.
• Pictures of the conference and a media summary of the conference and what the media covered.
• Conclusions and recommendations of the conference.
• The financial results of the conference in terms of costs and returns.
• Conference licensing procedures

Conditions for issuing a conference license

• To obtain a license for conferences, it is required to request and obtain the initial approval from the program, and then apply to complete the requirements and request to obtain a license. The initial approval does not grant the organizer the right to hold the conference.
• Obtaining the initial approval for the conference from the program is a prerequisite for applying for the final license for the conference, and the information provided in the initial approval application for the conference must match the information submitted for the license application in terms of the conference name, place, time, and main topics.
• The financial fee for licensing the conference approved by the supervisory committee of the program must be paid.
• The program communicates with the government agency related to the specialization of the conference (if necessary) after the initial approval and before obtaining the license, in cases where the conference deals with topics that directly discuss the competencies or tasks of that government agency, and their opinions and the extent of their support for holding the conference are taken (if necessary). In the event that the government agency does not support it. The organizer will be notified of this and he will have the opportunity to communicate directly with the government agency to convince them of the feasibility of the conference.
• The program may reject a request to organize a conference based on data related to the topics of the conference, its implementation plan, the scheduling of conferences, their conflict with other conferences or events, or instructions issued by the competent authorities.
• The organizer may set fees for attending the conference after coordination with the program at least three months prior to holding the conference.

Initial approval procedures for the conference

• The application for initial approval of the conference must be submitted through the program’s electronic portal at least (180) days prior to its holding.
• You must register, open an account for the organizer, and update the data in the electronic portal of the program. After that, a request for licensing a conference, forum, symposium, or forum is selected from the list of e-services in the electronic portal of the program. Then the choice is made to submit an application for initial approval, then fill out the form.
• The following shall be attached to the initial approval application:

1. A copy of the initial booking confirmation letter for the conference venue.
2. An action plan and detailed visualization of the conference, which includes the following:
3. The objectives of the conference, and the general themes of the conference.
4. The target audience for the conference.
5. The number of targeted attendees of the conference from inside and outside the Kingdom.
6. The organizational structure of the executive management of the conference, with the names of key officials in managing the conference.
7. Estimated budget for the conference.
8. Conference logo.

• If the initial approval requirements are completed, the program sends a message confirming receipt of the application.
• The program studies the request and responds to the organizer within five working days with acceptance, rejection, or acceptance with conditions. Official holidays and holidays are not included in this period.
• If the program approves the request, the organizer will pay a fee for the initial approval service for the conference.
• The program issues the initial approval for the conference and notifies the organizer via e-mail.

Procedures for obtaining the final license for the conference

• The final license application for the conference must be submitted through the program’s online portal at least (90) days prior to its holding.
• The organizer applies for licensing the conference by entering the program’s online portal. Choose to submit a conference, forum, symposium, or meeting license request from the list of electronic services. Choose to submit a final license request, then fill out the form.
• If the final licensing requirements are completed, the program sends a message to the organizer confirming receipt of the application.
• The program studies the application and documents with the competent authorities and responds to the organizer within (30) days with acceptance, rejection, or acceptance with conditions.
• The program issues a final license certificate for the conference. The organizer delivers the original copy of the license via e-mail.
• The program provides the competent authorities with a copy of the license to arrange, supervise, monitor, and monitor any violations. That occurs during the organization of the conference, each according to its competence.

Modify the time, place, or topic of the conference

1. In the event that the organizer amends or changes the date or location of the conference or cancels it. The program shall be notified through the electronic portal at least (60) days prior to the date of the conference. The justifications for the change shall be clarified, and the program shall obtain approval for that.
2. The organizer shall pay for financial services for this modification or change.
3. It is not permissible to change the name of the conference, its subject, or its speakers after obtaining the initial approval for holding it or the final license, and a new application is required.

Violations and penalties

In the event of a violation of the stipulated laws and regulations, whoever violates the provisions shall be punished by adhering to the controls and conditions, as follows:

1. A written warning and a request to amend the violation or violations during the conference. If it was committed the first time, sign a pledge not to repeat the violation in the future.
2. The organizer is prohibited from holding conferences and exhibitions for a period of three months in the event. That the violation is committed for the second time after the written warning.
3. The organizer is prohibited from holding conferences and exhibitions for a period of six months in the event. That the violation is committed for the third time, and in the event that there are conferences or exhibitions for the organizer in parallel.
4. It is approved in principle or licensed and falls within the ban period. Then it is canceled or postponed until after the ban period.
5. The record of the activity of holding conferences and exhibitions shall be suspended in the event of repeating the violation for the fourth time. All conferences and exhibitions approved in principle or licensed shall be canceled. The activity may not be re-registered except after at least one year has passed from the date of suspension, and based on special undertakings not to violate it. And to fulfill any requirements that arise at the time.

More about the services we provide in Reaya Alwofod, starting with securing meeting rooms, and the services associated with receiving delegates to conferences and exhibitions.