RICEC (Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center)

RICEC, the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, stands on King Abdullah Road in the King Abdullah district of Riyadh, close to King Khalid International Airport on the city's northern approach, a location that made it the capital's original purpose-built exhibition address. It was built and is owned by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which opened it in 2009 and still runs it, and that chamber ownership is the key to its significance: RICEC grew out of the chamber's trade-promotion mission and became the venue where national exhibitions and international congresses were staged before the newer mega-venues arrived. Its scale is compact but efficient. The centre contains four halls providing 14,644 sq m of column-free indoor exhibition space, with a further 4,626 sq m outdoors, a 1,100-seat auditorium and a VIP lounge, all set on a land parcel of about 190,000 sq m that leaves room for expansion; by 2013 the centre was reporting more than a million visitors and 3,200 exhibitors in a year, 60 per cent of them international. Venue features include divisible halls that let several events run at once, a business centre, meeting and VIP rooms, and truck access to the hall floors. Architecturally it is a low, sand-coloured complex of four linked halls around a central concourse, with shading and solid massing suited to the Riyadh climate. Transport is by road: King Abdullah Road and the Eastern Ring Road carry visitors from the airport and the city centre, taxis and ride-hailing are the norm, and on-site parking handles the car-borne audience.