Saudi Arabia’s newly approved foreign property ownership law and the accelerating integration of technology into real estate will be key focus areas at Cityscape Global 2025, the world’s most attended real estate event.

The event, scheduled to be held in Riyadh from November 17 to 20, is set to highlight the transformative impact of a new government law that allows non-Saudis to own property in designated zones, a move expected to attract a surge in international investment.

Cityscape Global, with its theme “The Future of Urban Living”, is uniquely positioned to showcase these breakthrough opportunities. With last year’s event seeing a 37 per cent increase in international participation, the 2025 edition is primed to deliver even greater impact.

This year, Cityscape Global will feature 450+ world-class exhibitors, 500 speakers, four conferences, and two VIP programmes for institutional investors and international developers.

“This is an historic moment for Saudi Arabia with exciting new changes that will pave the way for significant international investments into the kingdom,” said Rachel Sturgess, Senior Vice President at Tahaluf, the organiser of the event. “We are excited to highlight the significance of these opportunities at this year’s Cityscape Global. The major event will bring together more than 172,000 participants across the whole real estate value chain – from developers and architects to institutional investors, technology providers, and policymakers.”

Cityscape Global is expected to see 172,000 participants.

The announcement of the new property law, which takes effect in 2026, is part of a broader strategy to diversify the Saudi economy under the Vision 2030 framework. 

More than 70 international developers and over 20,000 international attendees were represented at last year’s show. 

USA, China, India, UK, Italy, UAE, Qatar and Jordan make up just some of the international countries with real estate representation at this year’s Cityscape Global. Brands such as Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, Binghatti Properties, Johnson Controls, NAVER Cloud, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Hovnanian Real Estate, Jordan Gate for Real Estate, Commercial & Tourism Investment Co., Dongying Yiheng New Building Materials, JLL and Property Automate have also confirmed their attendance.

In addition, renowned developers such as Qiddiya are exhibiting for the first time as Foundation Sponsor. Ajdan, Ajlan & Bros, Ajlan Riviera, Abyatona, AlDyar AlArabiya, Al Basateen, Al Majdiah, Al Othaim, Abdulrahman Saad AlRashed and Sons Co, Dar wa Emaar, Mohammed Al Habib, Mountain View, Osool, OSUS, Rafal, Retal, Rikaz, and Zood are committed Diamond Partners to Cityscape Global.

This year’s event will also see the co-location of ESTAAD, a new platform dedicated to the ecosystem behind stadiums and mega-event infrastructure.

The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing (MOMAH) in partnership with the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), Vision 2030, and the Housing Program.

Focus on Tech and Innovation

Beyond the new ownership laws, Cityscape Global will place a strong emphasis on technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in reshaping the real estate sector. With the global PropTech market projected to more than double to $88.37 billion by 2032, the event will feature a dedicated PropTech and AI Day at the Future of Living Summit. The day’s programme will spotlight cross-sector AI applications, examine how emerging technologies are reshaping the built environment and share a global market outlook from leading PropTech and ConTech investors.

The programme will include insights from a line-up of global experts, including Dr. Margarete Schramboeck, former Austrian Minister of Economy and Digital Affairs, and Darren Bechtel, founder of Brick & Mortar Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on construction technology.

The event will also debut a new AI & PropTech exhibition zone and an “AI Prompt-a-thon”, a real-time competition challenging participants to apply AI skills to real estate scenarios.

The Cityscape Global Innovation Challenge is now accepting entries from startups and scaleups, with two winners receiving a $100,000 prize from sponsor RETAL, a Saudi-based real estate developer. Past winners, including PlanRadar and Hydraloop, have credited the challenge with boosting their market presence and credibility in the region.