MDLBEAST’s XP announces conference program

Music professionals and fans from across the region can purchase their tickets for MDLBEAST’s music conference, XP. The three-day event with a conference & nightlife aspect will take place in Riyadh from 13th – 15th December and is set to become the most forward-thinking gathering of music leaders in the region.

Tickets for the ‘Day Xperience’, which includes access to the conference for all three days, are available for 1,950 SAR and increase to 3,450 SAR for the ‘Full Xperience’ ticket, offering three-day conference access plus entry to the evening parties and events. A ‘Lite Xperience’ ticket is available for 150 SAR and includes access for one day between the hours of 4pm to midnight. For guests attending the evening events only, the ‘Night Xperience’ ticket costs 750 SAR for one night, increasing to 1,750 SAR for all three nights.

XP is set to welcome leading international and regional music industry executives, policy makers, artists and creatives to participate in workshops, panel discussions and roundtables as they come together in building the future for the region’s music industry.

XP programme director, Nada Alhelabi commented, “It’s fair to say that we are entering the most exciting time for the music industry in the Middle East, ever. The opportunity is enormous, the potential is being unlocked, and what we need is a moment for the industry to come together to seize this chance with both hands, XP is that moment’‘.

She added, “We have built a very special program around the four key pillars; talent, the scene, policy, and social impact. We’re going to cover every corner of the industry with real outcomes and actions which will have a genuine and positive impact in the regional music industry.”

Programming for XP will come under four pillars: Talent and Development; Inspire and Promote; Data, Policy & Advocacy; and Social Purpose – with each pillar containing carefully curated panel discussions and networking opportunities.

Topics under Talent and Development will range from ‘Amplifying Music Futures – What does this new generation of creatives need to thrive?’, where the focus will be on laying down the ingredients for success in the industry. Another topic of discussion is titled ‘It’s a real job, mama’, which will look at how, currently, careers in the creative industries are limited for many young people in the region, and what can be done to change it.

Inspire and Promote topics will range from ‘Supercharging Music Tourism – Creating a sustainable new economy in KSA’ which will explore the changing landscape of the sharing economy, and the companies striving to make access to events and entertainment easier. A fishbowl session titled ‘How music can put a city on the global map’ will outline best practices in placemaking for music venues and festival sites.

‘Empowering Women in Music’ will be a hot topic under Data, Policy and Advocacy, as XP explores the advantages of female representation and having a diverse workforce. Another discussion under the same umbrella will be ‘The social and economic impact of the music industry on society’, which looks at the significant ROI music has on cities across the world.

Social Impact programming will look at subjects which extend the positive reach of music culture into communities. This takes many forms with ‘Green events, green planet’, one example event which will showcase the innovative power and progressive thinking within the events industry.

Ramadan Alharatani, CEO of MDLBEAST, says: “XP is a truly ground-breaking opportunity to contribute to building a new music and creative ecosystem that will offer benefits for all. The Middle East and Africa music market, which accounted for around US$170 million in the year 2018, is expected to grow to more than US$650 million in 2027¹. This is the scale of the opportunity and the reason why XP exists, to build the infrastructure to support and accelerate that growth.”

To ensure this, the XP programming has been carefully curated to cover the most important topics we are faced with today and I’m delighted to welcome some of the brightest and most exciting minds to join us in inspiring the next generation of music industry professional.”

Tickets are available to purchase from: https://xptickets.mdlbeast.com/