Business events in Dammam and the Eastern Province: what is worth attending in 2026–27

The Eastern Province's business event season runs from October to January, then picks up again in September. As of 13 October 2026, atndr lists 16 upcoming business events in the region: 11 in Dammam, 4 in Al Khobar and 1 in Jubail. Thirteen of them fall between late October 2026 and January 2027. atndr lists nothing between February and August 2027 yet.

The region is small enough to treat as one destination. Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran sit next to each other, and Dhahran Expo lies between all three. Jubail is further north on the coast.

The table lists every upcoming event by month, with the city it is in, as dated on atndr. Confirm on the organizer's site before you book.

The full, always-current list is on the Dammam events page.

Almost every business event in the region serves energy and heavy industry. Aramco runs or hosts several of them, and the Jubail summit is aimed at the city's petrochemical and utility plants. Pick by role: trade shows for buyers and suppliers, technical conferences for engineers.

Supply chain and local content

iktva Forum 2027 runs 11–14 January 2027 at Dhahran Expo. It is Aramco's forum for iktva (In-Kingdom Total Value Add), the localization program Aramco launched in 2015. The 2027 edition is held under the patronage of the Governor of the Eastern Province, and Aramco says it will launch TecShift, its open innovation initiative, at the forum. It is the event for suppliers who want to sell into Aramco's supply chain.

Trade shows at Dhahran Expo, 14–17 December 2026

Five shows share the venue on the same four days, so one trip covers several sectors:

• Gulf 4P 2026: plastics, printing, packaging and petrochemicals. Its organizer says Saudi Arabia accounts for more than 67% of GCC petrochemicals capacity.
• CTW Saudi Arabia 2026: a sourcing show linking Chinese and international suppliers with Saudi buyers in building materials, electronics, HVAC and tools. 2026 is its 4th edition.
• EVS Saudi Arabia 2026: electric vehicles, batteries and charging.
• Mach & Tools Saudi 2026: industrial machinery, machine tools and equipment.
• CIDEX 2026: construction and interior design, open 2 pm to 10 pm each day.

The first four are run by MIE Group; CIDEX is run by Creative XP.

Engineering and maintenance

STATIC ARABIA 2027 covers heat exchangers, pressure vessels, tanks and piping. It runs 7–9 September 2027 at Dhahran Expo, and its organizer expects more than 5,000 professionals from energy, oil and gas, petrochemicals and power. A week later, PVPC Global 2027 (pumps, valves, pipes and compressors, its 5th edition) and Refrigeration Expo 2027 (process cooling) share the venue on 14–16 September 2027, with a two-day technical summit on 14–15 September.

In Al Khobar, RAMCON 2026 (24–26 November 2026, Mövenpick Hotel) is a technical forum on plant reliability and maintenance; its organizer cites 200+ attendees. PCIC energy Middle East 2026 (10–11 November 2026, Le Méridien) is the 10th Middle East edition of the electrical engineering conference for the petroleum and chemical industries, run with the IEEE-IAS Saudi Arabia Section. In Dammam, the Lubricants and Additives Conference 2027 (18–19 January 2027) and the 2nd Annual Cranes & Heavy Lifting Conference 2027 (20–21 January 2027) both run at the Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Convention Centre; the cranes conference offers 14 CPD points.

Subsurface and OT security

SIGHT Symposium 2026 (26–28 October 2026, Al Khobar) is a new Society of Exploration Geophysicists symposium on seismic imaging and high-performance computing, hosted by Aramco. For industrial cybersecurity, OT Security Jubail 2026 (27 October 2026) is a one-day summit in Jubail that is invitation-only and free for qualified end users. OTSEC MENA 2026 (18 November 2026, Grand Hyatt Al Khobar) expects more than 150 senior OT leaders and focuses on AI in industrial automation.

For more industrial events across the country, see manufacturing events in Saudi Arabia.

Large exhibitions use Dhahran Expo. Conferences and summits use hotels in Dammam, Al Khobar and Jubail.

Dhahran Expo (Dhahran International Exhibitions Center) has run exhibitions since 1985. Despite its name, its address is in Dammam, and some organizers list it under Dammam and others under Al Khobar or Dhahran. It is the same venue. Its UFI profile lists 15,400 m² of covered and 23,000 m² of open-air exhibition space, about 70 km from King Fahd International Airport.

Dhahran Expo's own calendar also includes consumer fairs and concerts. atndr lists only the business events.

The nearest airport is King Fahd International Airport (DMM), north-west of Dammam. From Riyadh you can fly or take the Saudi Arabia Railways passenger train between Riyadh and Dammam; check times on SAR's site.

From Bahrain, the King Fahd Causeway connects the two countries by road. Travellers clear border procedures in both directions. The causeway authority publishes live crossing times on its site and its Jesr app, so check them before you set off.

Sort out three more things before you travel:

• Visa. Saudi Arabia's tourist eVisa is open to citizens of eligible countries through the official eVisa portal. It is a one-year, multiple-entry visa for stays of up to 90 days, and the portal lists events among permitted activities. Exhibitors and staff working a stand should ask the organizer which visa it recommends.
• Hotels. Book early for 14–17 December 2026, when five shows open at Dhahran Expo at once, and for the iktva Forum week in January 2027.
• Timing. The working week runs Sunday to Thursday. Opening hours vary: CIDEX runs from 2 pm to 10 pm, while most conferences start at 8 or 9 am. Check each day's hours.

If you are also planning trips to the capital, the business events in Riyadh guide covers its calendar and venues.

Plan around the clusters. The region's calendar is short and concentrated, so one trip can cover several events.

1. Combine co-located shows. The five December shows at Dhahran Expo share one venue and one badge queue. In January, the lubricants and cranes conferences run back to back at the same hotel.
2. Know the format before you register. Trade shows usually take visitor registration online. Technical conferences such as RAMCON, PCIC and the cranes conference sell delegate passes, and some summits are invitation-only.
3. Bring your supplier credentials to iktva. The forum is about selling into Aramco's supply chain, so local content plans and registrations matter more than brochures.
4. Ask about CPD. Several technical conferences, such as the lubricants and cranes events, offer CPD certificates or points.
5. Dress for business. Business attire is standard at conferences and exhibitions in the Eastern Province.