Building a global brand on 300 years of history
Case study:· Brand activation · Experiential marketing · Global events
"Seven stages. Six countries. One city finding its place in the world."
Diriyah Gate Development Authority. |. Vision 2030 · KSA. |. Marketing Project Services Manager | Oct 2025 – Mar 2026
Diriyah Gate Development Authority | Brand Activation & Experiential Marketing | 2025–26 — Seven international activations across six countries in six months. Expo Real Munich, Paris cultural showcase, Outernet London, WTM London, Cityscape Global 2025, UN Tourism General Assembly, and Manazel AlHadawi launch. Concept ideation, visual direction, and experiential storytelling for one of Saudi Arabia's most ambitious Vision 2030 giga-projects — delivered to a global audience of investors, tourism leaders, diplomats, and cultural communities.
The challenge
Diriyah is not a new brand. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 300 years of history at the heart of Saudi Arabia's founding identity — now at the centre of a $63.2 billion masterplan that will transform it into a global destination for culture, tourism, heritage, and luxury living under Vision 2030.
The challenge was not building a brand from nothing. It was taking something ancient, profound, and deeply Saudi — the birthplace of a nation — and making it legible, desirable, and investable to audiences who had never heard of it. Investors in Munich. Tourism leaders in London. Real estate developers in Paris. Diplomats in Riyadh. Each audience needed a different version of the same story, told with the same confidence and the same premium standard.
And it needed to happen simultaneously, across six countries, over six months.
The craft
Across seven major international activations, I worked alongside Diriyah's internal marketing and creative teams and specialist external partners — contributing to concept ideation, visual direction, narrative development, and experiential storytelling at each stage. The work was not executed for its own sake. Every activation had a specific strategic objective: build awareness, attract investment, deepen cultural credibility, or position Diriyah within a specific international community.
The activations were:
Expo Real 2025 — Munich
October 6–8, 2025
Global investment showcase within the Invest Saudi pavilion. Directed at institutional investors, developers, and capital partners. Translated Diriyah's $63.2bn masterplan into a confident, investable narrative for international real estate audiences.
Outernet London
October 30, 2025
Bold visual takeover of one of London's highest-footfall digital environments — celebrating Najdi architecture through high-impact OOH screens, branded hospitality lounges, and live cultural performances. Reached millions of commuters and international visitors.
Cityscape Global 2025
November 17–20, 2025
Destination-led pavilion at Riyadh's flagship real estate showcase — featuring architectural scale models, thought-leadership panels, live cultural performances, and the landmark launch of Manazel AlHadawi with $1.5bn in development contracts announced at the event.
Diriyah Comes to Paris
September 2025
Multi-sensory cultural showcase combining immersive video projections, large LED screens, live traditional performances, and Saudi culinary experiences. Pure cultural diplomacy — building global awareness and emotional connection to Diriyah's heritage identity.
WTM London 2025
November 4–6, 2025
World Travel Market flagship activation — a destination-led stand blending heritage architecture, interactive experiences, branded hospitality, and live cultural programming to position Diriyah as a premier global tourism destination for industry leaders and travel media.
UN Tourism General Assembly
November 7–11, 2025
High-level cultural evening at the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif — welcoming 160+ international delegations in a VIP-curated environment that used Najdi heritage as a living backdrop for diplomatic dialogue, cultural connection, and global tourism positioning.
The creative thread connecting all seven activations was the same: translate Diriyah's "City of Earth" brand narrative into a tangible, emotional experience that different international audiences could see themselves in — as investors, tourists, diplomats, or cultural advocates. Every touchpoint — the architecture of a stand, the arc of a performance, the hierarchy of a content screen — was shaped by that strategic intent.
Across all activations, I contributed to concept ideation and narrative framing in the early stages, visual direction and creative alignment throughout development, and cross-functional coordination between internal teams, specialist vendors, and event production partners to ensure premium, brand-consistent delivery at every touchpoint.
The change
Every activation delivered to the premium standard Diriyah demands — on time, on brief, and with the brand consistency that a project of this global ambition requires.
At Cityscape 2025, the Manazel AlHadawi residential launch — delivered within the same programme — sold its first phase beyond expectations, with demand more than double initial projections and $1.5 billion in development contracts announced at the event. At the UN Tourism General Assembly, Diriyah was positioned as a world-class cultural and tourism destination in front of 160+ international delegations. At Outernet London, the visual takeover generated millions of impressions across physical and digital audiences, amplified through social media across WTM week. In Paris, the cultural showcase created a distinctly non-commercial first impression of Saudi identity and heritage for a European audience with limited prior awareness.
Collectively, the programme established Diriyah not just as a real estate project, but as a globally credible cultural brand — visible to investors, tourism leaders, diplomats, and cultural audiences simultaneously, across six countries, in under six months.
7
international activations
6
countries across 6 months
160+
UN delegations reached
$1.5bn
contracts announced at Cityscape
"The world's most ambitious projects deserve the world's most considered brand thinking. Diriyah is both — and the work proved it on six international stages simultaneously."
