Saudi Arabia Postpones 'Davos in the Desert' to 2027: FII Cancels Next Week's Conference After Houthi Attacks on Riyadh Airport
Riyadh — The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute announced on Monday, October 19, that the 10th edition of its flagship conference, FII10, originally scheduled for October 26-29 in Riyadh, will be postponed to 2027, with new dates to be announced "very soon" and all existing registrations and partnerships to remain valid. Reuters reported that organizers had earlier on Monday scrapped the in-person event before confirming the full postponement.
In a statement, Princess Dr. Maha Bint Mishari Al Saud, chief executive of the FII Institute, said: "This decision has been taken to ensure that our milestone tenth edition delivers the full scale, quality and impact that our partners, members, speakers and delegates expect." She added: "A decade of partnership and shared vision deserves nothing less than our absolute best." Organizers said they would contact registered delegates and partners directly in the coming days about the revised arrangements. The statement itself did not mention the security situation.
The postponement came as Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement have exchanged near-daily missile, drone and air strikes in recent weeks, with the conflict escalating sharply. CNN reported that FII decided to cancel next week's conference in the wake of a series of Houthi attacks on the Saudi capital, including a deadly missile strike earlier this month on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation said the October 10 attack killed 12 people and wounded 309. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said attacks on the airport between October 7 and 11 killed 17 people and wounded 333 in total. Several countries have issued travel warnings for Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. State Department has advised U.S. citizens in the Middle East to exercise increased vigilance.
Held since 2017 and informally dubbed "Davos in the Desert" after the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland, the FII conference is the flagship investment platform of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, showcasing the kingdom's plans to attract foreign capital and transform its economy away from hydrocarbons toward tourism, sports and technology. According to CNN, Wall Street leaders scheduled to speak at next week's event included JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. The Washington Examiner reported that this is only the second time the annual conference has been called off, after its 2020 cancellation because of COVID-19.
Other events on Saudi Arabia's international calendar have also been disrupted. The Washington Examiner reported that the trade exhibition Intersec Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Retail Forum have been postponed until 2027, and that the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament was previously delayed to late December.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Riyadh 的 King Abdullah Financial District（KAFD）金融区夜景（资料图），楼体可见 KAFD 标识与 HSBC 大楼。照片：Kolaiel，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。Photo: Night view of the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh (file photo). Photo by Kolaiel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
