Why our exhibitors keep coming back to Riyadh every year – for Black Hat MEA.
At the 2025 event we had many conversations on the exhibition floor. We jotted down some of the best bits – so that now, we can let our exhibitors share (in their own words) why BHMEA is so valuable to them.
In case you don’t have time to read the whole thing right now (in which case, save it for later) – the short answer is that they care about very specific details: who they meet, what conversations happen, and whether the time justifies the investment.
Faiz Shuja (Co-Founder and CEO at SIRP) said:
“Black Hat perfectly aligns with our business goals. You get to see all the partners, distributors, customers.”
And more than just the density of meetings, the event sets the right tone.
“It’s the right platform for our target audience. And we're able to talk to them over the three days – it's busy, but it's casual as well.”
That balance is something we’re dedicated to maintaining. Serious business, but without the forced formality – so you can build real connections with the right people.
Product launches and regional expansion can be hard work when customer access is limited. For Ilyas Mohammed (COO at AmiViz), Black Hat MEA solves that problem at scale.
“It's a good platform for us to introduce some of our new technologies to the customers.”
More importantly, it lowers the barriers that often exist in day-to-day sales.
“Usually it's challenging to be introduced to, or talk to the customers face-to-face. Here vendors get the chance to demo and showcase their products and technologies which are new to the region.”
In cybersecurity, trust is everything. And in-person connections allow trust to grow faster and stronger.
For Saudi-based organisations, we’ve become a fixed point in the calendar.
Abdulrahman Al-Manea (Chief Advisory Officer at Sirar by STC) said:
“We participate in Black Hat every year.”
The reason?
“It’s the event for cybersecurity and it’s the largest event in the globe – it’s the main event for us as a cybersecurity company in Saudi Arabia.”
For national champions and ecosystem builders, presence here is strategic.
Not every conversation on the show floor is about sales. For Shaker Hashlan (OT Cyber Security Director at Cyberani by ARAMCO Digital), BHMEA is also about people and capability.
“Black Hat MEA is a great venue for us to meet a lot of the other partners for the ecosystem in the region.”
And to address one of the region’s most persistent challenges:
“Skillset, and the shortage of skillset in the cybersecurity market in general.”
Participation itself becomes part of the solution:
“Being part of this engagement is a good learning activity... We can attract a lot of the skillset and build our capabilities.”
Each year, we develop:
That’s why cybersecurity exhibitors plan around the event. It’s in the calendar every year.
If you’re building, buying, selling, or shaping cybersecurity in the region, the message from the floor is that this is where the ecosystem shows up.
We hope you show up too.
Ready to exhibit? Register now for 2026.
Join the newsletter to receive the latest updates in your inbox.
Why Riyadh has become essential for cybersecurity practitioners – from government-backed momentum and diversity to global collaboration and rapid innovation at Black Hat MEA.
Read More
Three startup lessons from founders who exhibited at Black Hat MEA 2025, on market fit, focus, and turning ideas into viable security businesses.
Read More
From HAL 9000 to modern distributed systems, we trace how AI in movies has evolved alongside real computing – and what that arc reveals for today’s technologists.
Read More