The 25th WPC Energy Congress opened on 12 October at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC), running until 15 October 2026. It is the first time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event in its 93-year history, and it comes at a demanding moment for the region. Held under the theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”, the Congress is organised by WPC Energy with the Saudi Ministry of Energy as host.
The Congress in numbers
The WPC Energy Congress, which began in London in 1933, is one of the oldest gatherings of the global energy industry. For the Riyadh edition, organisers planned:
- 25,000+ participants from 100+ countries
- 50,000 m² of exhibition space with 300+ exhibiting companies
- 70+ energy ministers and 300+ CEOs and senior executives
- 30+ plenary, strategic and ministerial sessions and 30 technical forums
The Congress anchors a wider Riyadh Energy Week that includes the International Energy Forum ministerial meeting and OAPEC sessions. KAPSARC joined as National Partner with a pavilion built around five hubs: oil, transportation, clean energy, AI and collaboration.
A message of resilience
The Congress opened against a backdrop of regional security tension. In his opening address, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman described Riyadh as “the capital of energy security” and said that “resilience is built before a crisis begins”.
The same logic applies to the industry’s own events. According to the IEA, global energy investment is set to reach a record $3.4 trillion in 2026, with about $2.2 trillion going to clean energy, grids, storage and efficiency (cited by Arab News). That money is spent by companies that need to meet buyers, partners and governments face to face, and the Gulf remains one of the main places where those meetings happen.
What an energy stand needs to work
Energy exhibitions are not consumer fairs. Visitors are engineers, procurement teams and government delegations, and they come for serious conversations. In practice, an energy stand has to:
- Show heavy or technical products safely: valves, turbines, cable and pipe samples, often with floor loading and rigging approvals from the venue.
- Explain complex technology quickly: large LED walls, scale models and interactive screens that tell the story in under a minute.
- Host confidential meetings: closed meeting rooms or an upper deck on a double-decker stand, away from the aisle noise.
Large halls like RFECC and the Dubai Exhibition Centre have strict build-up rules and short installation windows, so the engineering is planned months in advance.
Where to exhibit next
The next WPC Energy Congress is scheduled for June 2028 in Central Asia. For companies focused on the Gulf, the closer dates are:
- ADIPEC 2026, 2–5 November, ADNEC Abu Dhabi
- Middle East Energy 2027, expected in May 2027, Dubai Exhibition Centre
For a custom stand at a spring show, design, venue approvals and production slots are usually booked four to six months ahead, which means starting the brief between now and January.
Our experience in energy and in Riyadh
Expo Events Consulting traditionally builds stands at the world’s largest oil, gas and energy forums, including the World Energy Congress (WEC), the WPC Energy Congress, ADIPEC and Gastech. We know the pace, the technical demands and the build-up rules of these events.
For Steelena at Middle East Energy 2025 in Dubai, Expo Events Consulting designed and built the company’s exhibition stand. See the project →
In Riyadh, we have built stands for Resource at the Saudi Food Show in both 2024 and 2025, with our own production, logistics and build crews in the Kingdom. See the project →
How Expo Events Consulting works
- Free 3D design concept for your stand before you commit.
- One partner from concept to dismantling: design, production, logistics, installation and on-site service.
- Local production and build crews in the UAE and in Riyadh, plus venue experience across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
- Heavy-duty structures and double-decker stands for machinery and technical exhibits, with a dedicated English-speaking project manager from design to dismantling.
Planning your next energy exhibition?
Send us your show, stand size and a few words about your products, and we will prepare a free 3D concept.
Explore our portfolio and see upcoming exhibitions in Saudi Arabia