The sun-lit halls of Riyadh’s Malham Exhibition & Convention Centre buzzed with a rare energy as global real-estate players converged for Cityscape Global 2025, unfolding from 17-20 November 2025. It felt less like a traditional trade show and more like a live window into the future of urban living, played out in real time on a stage that brought together government officials, developers, investors, technologists and visionaries from around the world.
Walking through the venue, you could sense that Saudi Arabia has turned a corner. The opening address by Majed bin Abdullah Al Hogail, the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, reflected that boldness: he announced that real-estate agreements signed in just the first two days already exceeded SAR 161.2 billion, a signal of the market’s momentum and the growing global interest in the Kingdom’s development roadmap. The exhibition was not merely about deals, though—and therein lay its power—it was about the vision unfolding for cities, homes and infrastructure where technology, sustainability and international capital converge.
From sprawling pavilions showcasing giga-projects to smaller booths where PropTech firms demonstrated how AI, digital twins and tokenised real-estate titles were becoming reality, every corner of the event seemed to whisper: the future isn’t coming, it’s here. Al-Hogail noted that Saudi Arabia has adopted PropTech solutions, artificial intelligence, modern construction methods and even completed its first tokenisation of a real-estate title deed. That rare moment when innovation meets bricks and mortar was visibly playing out.
Throughout the four days, the agenda spanned an astonishing range of themes—from “Cities Without Borders” to “Print Me a Neighbourhood – 3D Construction in Action”, from sports and entertainment-led infrastructure to housing policy and asset class transformation. International speakers, including ministers, urbanists and CEOs, shared how development strategies in Saudi Arabia align with ambitions codified in the country’s broader economic transformation. The message was consistent: real estate is no longer just about building homes—it’s about building the futures of communities, investment flows, global partnerships, climate resilience and livability.
Among the headlines were the major deals being announced. On the second day alone, the exhibition saw fresh agreements including a SR 200 million water-park development and partnerships around international schools in new residential communities. Against this backdrop, the sheer scale of ambition is hard to miss: the domestic market is projected to reach more than US $100 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of around 8 percent from 2024.
What struck many was how the exhibition positioned Saudi Arabia not just as a regional player but as a global hub. With over 460 exhibitors from 42 countries, including 160 + real-estate developers and PropTech innovators, the event brought to life the slogan “Explore the world’s biggest projects” in a tangible way. For attendees from Hyderabad, India, or anywhere else, it was a front-row seat into transactions and partnerships that could ripple across continents.
Of course, such ambition carries questions—about sustainability, execution risk, community outcomes and market stability. But the tone in Riyadh was one of confidence, optimism and urgency. (And perhaps not coincidentally, the opening hours stretched deep into the evening, signalling that this was less exhibition, more extended network-ed affair.) For someone watching from afar, the sense is clear: cities aren’t just being built—they’re being re-imagined.
Leaving the venue I found myself thinking: we often talk about “smart cities” or “future living” in abstract terms, but this event brought those phrases into focus as tangible possibilities. A water park deal announced one day, a tokenisation of property rights the next—these aren’t incremental changes, they are marker-points in a broader story of how real estate, technology, investment and policy are converging at scale.
By the end of the week, I suspect many participants left with more than business cards—they left with a sense of being part of something larger: the real-estate chapter of a nation in motion, turning its land, ambition and capital into something novel, expansive and global. And for me, witnessing that felt like not just watching a show, but witnessing the future taking shape.
If you’re in real estate, investment, urban planning or even simply curious about where cities are heading, Cityscape Global 2025 offered a compelling vantage point. And for any observer in India looking beyond the local market, this was a reminder: the big opportunities are not just next door—they are across borders, in places willing to think big, move fast and partner globally.
Reviewed by Aparna Decors
on
November 18, 2025
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