Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Ministry of Culture has unveiled the agenda for the first-ever Cultural Investment Conference 2025.
The event held at the King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh, bringing together more than 100 local and international speakers, including policymakers and leaders from cultural and investment institutions worldwide. The inaugural edition of the Cultural Investment Conference 2025 will launch in the presence of His Highness Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Minister of Culture, together with senior officials, investors, and cultural pioneers from Saudi Arabia and abroad.
The panel discussions with contributions from senior Saudi officials, including His Excellency Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Vice Minister of Culture, and His Excellency Rakan bin Ibrahim Al-Touq, Assistant Minister of Culture, together with leading international cultural and creative figures such as Charles Stewart, CEO of Sotheby's; Guillaume Cerutti, Chairman of Christie's; Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel; Tony Vinciquerra, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment; Tarak Ben Ammar, Founder of Eagles Pictures; and Lord Neil Mendoza, Chairman of Historic England.
The Conference features more than 38 panel discussions and workshops built around three core pillars. The first pillar, Cultural Production, will highlight culture's role as an economic engine -driving job creation, regional development and tourism while positioning the Kingdom as a leading destination for cultural investment. The second pillar, Advancing Cultural Capital, will explore innovative investment mechanisms to unlock new opportunities, with a focus on emerging markets and lessons from regions at different stages of cultural development.
The third pillar, The Cohesive Power of Culture, will emphasize culture's ability to strengthen social bonds and the importance of inclusive, collaborative investment approaches that foster global cultural exchange and mutual understanding. The conference attracted significant engagement from cultural and government entities as well as major companies, all contributing to the success of its inaugural edition.
The list of partners includes: the Cultural Development Fund, the Cultural Assets Group the Ministry of Investment, the Royal Commission for AlUla, the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra), the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), MBC Group, Al Madinah Region Development Authority, the King Fahd Cultural Center, the ALIPH Foundation, Art Jameel, Sotheby's, ARTE COLLECTUM, Mung Investments, in addition to the media partners China Media Group (CMG) and Al-Thaqafiya TV Channel.
The Cultural Investment Conference marks an important step in empowering the Kingdom's cultural sector and positioning it as a dynamic economic engine that strengthens national identity and expands Saudi Arabia's cultural presence globally. It reflects the Kingdom's commitment to advancing global cultural exchange and reinforces Riyadh's role as an international hub for culture and the creative economy.
