Messe München now partnering with MWAN to bring IFAT to Saudi Arabia in 2026

MUNICH, Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Messe München is continuing to expand its strong international presence and will be holding its first trade fair in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2026 with IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies. On Monday, January 27, 2025, a cooperation agreement with the National Center for Waste Management (MWAN) in Saudi Arabia was formally ratified. During a ceremony in Riyadh to mark the new cooperation, the CEO of MWAN, Dr. Abdullah Al Sebaei, and Stefan Rummel, CEO of Messe München, signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of His Excellency Abdurrahman bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Fadhli, Minister of Economy, Water and Agriculture.

Great potential in Saudi Arabia

Through this partnership with MWAN, the global network of IFAT with its 12 successful trade fairs in seven countries, will thus be expanded by a strategically important new event. The trade fair will be held at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center from January 26 to 28, 2026, and will bring together the key players in waste, water and various environmental technologies from the Middle East and North Africa. "Strong and successful international business also secures the economic future of our trade fairs in Munich," explain the two CEOs Stefan Rummel and Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer: "We see great potential in Saudi Arabia and are looking forward to the first IFAT in the Middle East." As per Dr. Abdullah, MWAN has been leading a major transformation journey of the sector in Saudi Arabia through extensive regulatory and planning efforts that fully embody circular economy principles, while creating hundreds of opportunities for local and global investors, to build an advanced and modern waste infrastructure over the next decade. This new partnership between MWAN and Messe München will prove invaluable and will help to tap into new unexplored markets for environmental technologies in the MENA region.

High investment in sustainable development

For the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the trade fair is an important part of the government's "Vision 2030" program, through which it is investing more heavily in the sustainable development of the economy. This offers great growth potential for environmental technologies and the circular economy. The ambitious goals include 91% source segregated waste, 79% of waste prepared for recycling and 90% diversion from landfills by 2040. For the water sector, desalinating seawater, expanding water networks and building wastewater treatment plants and associated infrastructure to meet national needs are all being accomplished while diligently ensuring the sustainable extraction and consumption of this valuable resource, and protecting the natural environment of the Kingdom.

Contact:
Willi Bock
Company Spokesman
Phone +49 89 949-21112
willi.bock@messe-muenchen.de