Introduction to upgrading and developing national safety systems

Amid rapid urban expansion, construction booms, and exceptional engineering development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on the ambitious goals and projects of Vision 2030 aimed at diversifying the economy and developing infrastructure, the Technology and Fire Protection Summit—scheduled to take place soon as part of the flagship Intersec Saudi Arabia exhibition in the region—strongly highlights the latest innovations and technological trends in this vital field. This important international summit, to be held in the capital Riyadh and gathering elite minds, explores the broad horizons of advanced protection and safety systems supported and equipped with modern artificial intelligence technologies. It seriously discusses ways to enhance national infrastructure resilience, effective digital safety system development strategies, and reviews and analyzes international best practices and experiences to ensure the safety of lives, property, and strategic and mega-facilities from any potential hazards in the near future.

• Introduction to upgrading and developing national safety systems
• Details of the prominent tech event and key scientific sessions
• The role of advanced artificial intelligence in fire response and management
• Protecting critical infrastructure and interconnected mega-projects
• The Kingdom’s future vision and integrating complex global standards
• Frequently asked questions about protection technologies and artificial intelligence

Details of the prominent tech event and key scientific sessions

The exhibition and upcoming event are officially scheduled to take place from November 16 to 18, 2026, at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center, which is equipped with the latest technologies to host major international events. The upcoming edition of the exhibition is expected to witness a massive turnout exceeding 25,000 visitors, including engineers and security sector specialists, alongside active participation from 500 international exhibiting companies showcasing their latest products, and more than 110 prominent speakers from around the world sharing insights and ideas. The summit’s agenda includes intensive scientific and practical sessions led by global experts specialized in their fields. These qualitative sessions cover highly critical topics such as early fire detection systems using smart algorithms, digital safety solutions tailored for sustainable smart cities, strategies for protecting complex industrial facilities like factories and refineries, and ways to develop and train national human talent to keep pace with the requirements and challenges of the rapidly evolving future of fire engineering and its emerging technologies.

The role of advanced artificial intelligence in fire response and management

The deployment of artificial intelligence stands out as a pivotal and fundamental element in all discussions and dialogues of the upcoming summit. Prominent local and international experts—including Fares Al-Zahrani, an experienced health, safety, and security consultant at the Ministry of Education, and Youssef Mohamed, a fire prevention specialist at King Fahd International Airport—will conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study of the evolving and accelerating role of smart technological systems in immediate response and priority-setting during emergencies. Practical discussions will focus particularly on how to integrate and deploy these advanced technologies with the expertise and intuition of human engineers in control rooms to improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making during crises, unexpected developments, and critical situations. Despite the superior and remarkable ability of machines and algorithms to analyze massive environmental data such as smoke sensor readings, thermal cameras, or climate changes, specialized experts emphasize that human supervision remains necessary, crucial, and final in complex situations to ensure a comprehensive and sound human risk assessment that accounts for variables machines cannot grasp.

Protecting critical infrastructure and interconnected mega-projects

In this evolving context of safety discussions, Sutharson Sathaya, Health, Safety, and Environment Director for massive entertainment and urban mega-projects such as Qiddiya City and the Aquarabia project, and a member of the summit’s main advisory committee, pointed to a completely new and different reality. He noted that with the massive increase in the scale of modern urban projects, their technical and engineering complexities, and their intense interconnectivity across energy and communication networks, it is no longer professional or acceptable to view fire protection systems and equipment as a sector isolated and independent from other utility services. Instead, they must be tightly and concurrently integrated and coordinated with physical public security sectors, massive crowd management and organization, and comprehensive, proactive preparedness plans for sudden emergencies. Within this vital framework for crisis management, engineer Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani, head of the specialized fire department at the Saudi Railway Company, will deliver detailed and applied presentations on how to manage major and hazardous incidents within critical railway infrastructure facilities, focusing directly on the effective tactics needed during the crucial first hour of a crisis—the golden period scientifically recognized for minimizing physical and human losses and limiting the spread of danger.

The Kingdom’s future vision and integrating complex global standards

The summit’s activities also witness a strong, anticipated return and active participation from the global National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which will organize and manage a day entirely dedicated to connecting and aligning global standards and international specifications with the national vision, climatic conditions, and specific local needs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Among the prominent speakers confirmed to participate are David Bartlett, head of the fire and rescue service at busy Heathrow Airport, and Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council. Exhibition Director Reham Seddik confirmed in press statements that the Kingdom is currently establishing exceptional and unprecedented global standards in the development and planning of smart infrastructure, making it imperative for accompanying safety and protection systems to evolve at the exact same fast pace to match the scale of the event. The summit’s overarching mission aims to help national and international companies move beyond mere compliance with basic legal requirements, shifting consciously toward adopting smarter, more resilient, and integrated approaches and practices that ensure the sustainability and safety of these mega-projects for future generations and provide an environment entirely free of catastrophic risks.

Frequently asked questions about protection technologies and artificial intelligence

Question: When and where will the upcoming Intersec Saudi Arabia summit and exhibition be held for its new edition?

Answer: This major and prominent event will take place from November 16 to 18, 2026, at the dedicated Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center in the heart of the Kingdom.

Question: What is the technical role played by advanced artificial intelligence in the summit’s upcoming sessions and discussions?

Answer: The summit strongly focuses on studying and analyzing how to use smart systems to improve the accuracy and speed of early smoke and heat detection, and to enhance and guide human team responses during crises.

Question: How do new mega urban projects handle the planning and implementation of fire prevention systems?

Answer: They treat them as an integrated, vital, and interconnected part of other security systems and massive crowd management to ensure a unified and organized response to any emergency across all vital sectors.

Question: Is attendance and participation in the exhibition limited to the local and regional level, or does it extend globally?

Answer: It is not limited locally; rather, the exhibition attracts extremely broad global expertise and is expected to feature more than 110 expert speakers and 500 exhibitors from various countries around the world to exchange the latest practices and technologies in the field.