Riyadh is turning healthcare into a data and deal market. When the Global Health Exhibition 2025 opens on October 27 at the Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Center in Malham, Saudi Arabia will host one of the largest medical and digital health gatherings in the region—built to draw investors, startups, and global tech manufacturers into the Kingdom’s expanding health economy.
The four-day event, held under the Ministry of Health’s patronage, expects 160,000 visitors, 2,000 exhibitors, 1,000 investors, and 500 speakers. It anchors Saudi Arabia’s plan to localize medical manufacturing and turn healthcare into a high-growth, tech-led industry under Vision 2030.
Technology drives the agenda. The Digital Health Forum and Investor x Venture Forum will showcase new platforms for AI diagnostics, robotic surgery, remote patient monitoring, and predictive analytics. Startups working on automation, telemedicine, and data integration are expected to dominate the floor as investors from the Gulf, Europe, and Asia scout scalable, regulatory-ready solutions.
Confirmed speakers include Philips CEO Roy Jakobs, BD’s Tom Polen, GSK Chair Jonathan Symonds, Canon Medical CEO Toshio Takiguchi, Sanofi Chair Frédéric Oudéa, and MSD’s Joe Romanelli, alongside Houston Methodist’s Cathy Easter. Their presence signals how large medtech and pharmaceutical companies are repositioning for partnerships and research expansion in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s healthcare market, valued at over $65 billion, is among the fastest-growing globally, boosted by digital reforms, private-sector investment, and public-private partnerships. Government-backed programs are pushing AI integration across hospitals and enabling local production of devices and consumables to reduce import dependency.
Startups are a central focus this year. The exhibition will dedicate space to early-stage healthtech ventures developing AI-driven triage systems, cloud-based patient data platforms, and remote diagnostics. Participants will gain direct access to institutional investors through curated pitch sessions and the event’s digital matchmaking app, designed to link founders and financiers before doors open.
The exhibition floor spans medical devices, imaging, lab systems, digital health, wellness, and government services, with 20 national pavilions promoting cross-border partnerships. A newly added wellness zone highlights the rise of consumer health technology and wearable data applications.
For investors, Riyadh’s positioning is strategic. The Kingdom sits at the center of a healthcare corridor that stretches from Africa to South Asia, giving startups access to underserved markets. For multinationals, local partnerships promise early entry into a digitally integrated system with strong regulatory backing and state support for R&D.
The Global Health Exhibition 2025 marks a shift from conference to marketplace—where innovation meets capital and technology sets the pace. For Saudi Arabia, the event is less about showcasing progress and more about accelerating it
Less than a week to go as Riyadh readies for Global Health Exhibition 2025