In late 2022 RLI took its highly successful Global Deal-Making event to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, unlocking something totally new to the region, bringing international and home grown brands together to connect, explore and develop potential opportunities to expand their brands into a burgeoning market. We had tremendous feedback praising the high calibre of attendees, meticulous organisation, efficiency of pre-arranged meetings and general value to all participants.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is fast becoming an iconic retail landmark and is the epicentre of Giga-Projects as Vision 2030 begins to take shape, a perfect fit with the different facets of RLI. By taking RLI Connect MENA, its dedicated Deal-Making event for the region to Riyadh in 2024 we can build on our first foray and exceptional experience in the Kingdom and leverage the significant opportunities to continue to Connect, Explore and Develop all-important relationships whilst closing those deals.

The thinking behind RLI Connect is simple…

Useful connections when you need them most

Our previous RLI Connect events in London, Dubai, Istanbul, LA and more recently Riyadh, have brought together thousands of industry professionals to connect, explore and develop business opportunities worldwide… A necessity in today’s world.

Making it easy for you

Grow your network easily with pre-arranged one-to-one meetings between retailers, leisure operators & entertainment concepts and owners, investors, developers & prospective partners of the most visionary and innovative retail and leisure concepts from across the globe looking to expand across the MENA region.

Helping you stay on top

The retail and leisure industry is exciting, dynamic and innovative and will continue to adapt and evolve to meet the rapidly changing needs of the consumer. Retail will reinvent itself and this is the perfect opportunity to re-think strategies and innovate… A necessity in tomorrow’s world.

One simple objective

To help you do business in a fast changing environment enabling you to explore new markets and develop new relationships.

There may be many different theories and expectations about the future of malls, but one thing is certain: the shopping malls industry is being revolutionised. Now more than ever Retail & Leisure destinations are becoming mixed-use Developments and transforming into environments where people live, work & play whilst others want to visit and return to. A window into tomorrow’s world-class destinations shows projects that will challenge and inspire the ‘Future of Retail’ and Owners and Developers are looking for new innovative concepts that will set them apart from the rest.

The inaugural RLI MENA Awards 2024 will follow RLI Connect MENA , with the venue for both events to be announced soon.