Portuguese delegation heads to meet the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia officials

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — Trade Mission Saudi Arabia, a high-profile Portuguese delegation, will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to conduct an official visit to the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) and explore new bilateral trade and business opportunities in the Kingdom and Portugal in the wood and furniture industries.

The Trade Mission is visiting Saudi Arabia on the occasion of key industry events -- The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia 2022, and INDEX Saudi 2022 to be held from 6th to 8th September at Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre. Associative Design, a brand created by the Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP) will host the ‘Interior Design Made in Portugal’ show at Stand A141 in Hall 1 of the Saudi Hotel Show.

Vitor Poças, President of the AIMMP, said, “The Trade Mission is visiting the Kingdom with major plans to augment trade relations. We expect the meeting with key decision makers of the Saudi Investment Ministry will result in new initiatives and agreements to further enhance collaboration between the two countries. The Trade Mission aims to seize investment opportunities in the Kingdom and Portugal by strengthening cooperation, trade and investment partnerships in the sector.”

Dr. Nuno Vaultier Mathias, the Ambassador of Portugal to Saudi Arabia, will visit the ‘Interior Design Made in Portugal’ show organized by the “Associative Design – The Best of Portugal” at the Hotel Show.”

Featuring 21 top-notch brands, the AIMMP promotes ‘Interior Design Made in Portugal’ furniture products and brands globally and implements technologically and aesthetically advanced design projects of massive scale.

“Coinciding with this, we are bringing a line-up of premium furniture brands under the umbrella of ‘Associative Design – The Best of Portugal” to The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia. The participating brands will showcase a wide range of designs with a Portuguese flair and creativity catering to the traditional Arabic culture and aesthetic concepts. Our visitors will witness a mix of innovation, sustainability, contemporary designs, and a few author-designed pieces at the event,” added Mr. Poças.

Elaborating on the meeting with MISA officials, Mr. Poças said, “In the wake of the recent economic boom, developments and multiple projects coming up in Saudi Arabia, we consider the Kingdom as a highly growing market for home sector exports. Saudi is one of the global leaders helping market resurgence in the post-pandemic world. We are confident about growth prospects for Portuguese brands with the Saudi Government’s key initiatives to develop tourism and hospitality industry.”

“Today, Portugal is well positioned to become one of the major global suppliers of these products. In recent years we have shown a new approach and a high degree of dynamism and creativity in wood building materials, furniture and interior design. The Portuguese wood and furniture industry offers an unparalleled variety of products of proven quality and excellent design, making it possible to provide integrated solutions to fully satisfy the everchanging technical demands and creativity of architects and designers,” he added.

The line-up of Portuguese brands includes ACHILLES, SINCE 1905, A. FREITAS & BARBOSA, ARQ TAILOR’S, CASTRO WOOD FLOORS, CICOMOL, DUQUESA & MALVADA, FABROS, GESPRINT, MAINGUILTY, MNB GROUP, MURANTI, NAUU DESIGN, PORVENTURA, PLACANOBRE®, OWN Design by Miguel Soeiro, RIBADAO WOOD BOUTIQUE, SAFINA, SE7E, THUNDERTARGET, TRADINGTIMBER and X8 SOLUTIONS GROUP.

In addition, the program includes participation of two Portuguese designers and architects -- Carlos Mello and Artur Soares as keynote speakers at INDEX Design Talks, held as part of the INDEX Saudi 2022, on Sept 7 at 9:40 pm and 8:15 pm, respectively. Carlos Mello will talk about the topic “The essence of a designer and legacy of design”, while Artur Soares’ presentation focuses on “Advancement in technology for design and architecture”.

"It is always gratifying to have the opportunity to talk about architecture and design, as these are the areas to which I dedicate myself! Whenever I can contribute to the greater projection and internationalization of the "Portugal brand," I will do so,” said Artur Soares.