Riyadh: The fourth Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity will return to Riyadh on Nov. 24-25 with more than 200 speakers, as organizers expand the program to support the growth of the Kingdom’s creative marketing industry and highlight Saudi talent globally.
This year’s speakers will include Princess Lamia bint Majid Al-Saud, secretary-general of Alwaleed Philanthropies; Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital; designer and television personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen; Huib van Bockel, former Red Bull marketing head and founder of TENZING Natural Energy; and Markus Prosser, CMO of the Atlassian Williams F1 Team, alongside Saudi, regional and international voices.
Organizers recently unveiled the program during a press panel in Riyadh titled “Athar’s Origins to 2026 Edition,” which brought together Ian Fairservice, festival chairman and managing partner of Motivate Media Group; Mohamed Al-Ayed, vice chairman of the festival; and Ahmed Al-Sahhaf, CEO of MBC Media Solutions.
The event also featured a screening of “Athar Origins,” a documentary chronicling the festival’s three-year journey from its initial concept to its launch and development as a creative platform.
Athar 2026 will introduce two new content streams, “Strategic Creativity” and “Decoding Saudi,” alongside the returning “Future Forward” and “Screen & Influence” tracks. The four-track program will explore how technology, content and culture are influencing brand growth and audience engagement in the Saudi market.
The festival will also revive the Maheerah Program, Future CMO Academy and Athar Awards, alongside curated panel discussions and campaign showcase sessions.
Fairservice highlighted the balance between established audience interests and new areas of discovery in this year’s event, noting that the new streams reflected Athar’s continued development alongside its community.
Al-Ayed said that confidence in Saudi talent, the region’s potential and its untold stories would play an important role in the future of Saudi creativity. He highlighted Athar’s role in supporting the Kingdom’s creative ecosystem.
He pointed to growing confidence in Saudi talent as an increasingly important factor in investment decisions, with brands showing greater willingness to support local creative capabilities.
Al-Ayed also highlighted the growing recognition of homegrown creativity and authentic local storytelling as commercial drivers, making the value of Saudi creative output increasingly visible and measurable.
The festival has also extended its activities beyond its two-day program through initiatives such as the year-round Maheerah Network, which provides ongoing mentorship and professional development opportunities.
Al-Ayed outlined Athar’s ambition to position Saudi creative identity as a regional export rather than simply a destination for international expertise.
He highlighted the festival’s presence at Vision Golfe in Paris and its annual participation in Cannes Lions as initiatives for showcasing Saudi culture and creative capabilities internationally.
Al-Ayed described the partnership with the UK Advertising Exports Group as a model for cultural and creative collaboration, noting that such initiatives facilitated the international exchange of local perspectives and strengthened recognition of the Kingdom’s creative output.
