The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) has issued accreditation certificates approving 91 facilities specialized in organizing and managing crowds at entertainment events following a rigorous review of their compliance with organizational and legal requirements and checking their technical and professional crowd management capabilities.
Through this step GEA affirms its commitment to its regulatory and legislative mandate within the Saudi entertainment sector as it seeks to secure the highest quality and excellence standards for all events by issuing licenses for specialized facilities with a proven track record in the field. The certifications cover the entire scope of event planning, facility management, safety and security, crowd management, organizing and guiding visitors, emergency evacuation processes, crisis response, and the planning and coordination of security schemes at venues in cooperation with security authorities.
GEA’s accreditation of crowd management standards reiterates its keenness to raise the quality and efficiency of entertainment events and ensure they are surrounded by a comfortable and well-ordered atmosphere that facilities entry and exit and provides peace of mind for visitors in the thick of the new norm imposed by the novel coronavirus COVID-19, where the need for healthy venues with utmost safety and preventative standards has become crucial. Furthermore, the GEA realizes the indispensable opportunities offered by entertainment events in increasing investment, creating jobs, supporting the entertainment sector’s contribution to the local GDP, and further strengthening the Kingdom’s pioneering and noteworthy expertise in managing large crowds.
Crowd organization and management is regarded as one of the main activities outlined within the investment regulation set in place by GEA for the sector, which comes in line with the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC). GEA published a guide for investors detailing the mechanism for applying for crowd organization and management accreditation through its
Tarfeeh Portal which also lists necessary requirements, most importantly the inclusion of “crowd organization and management” within the commercial register’s activities. Accreditations are issued within three days during which an application is reviewed to ensure its fulfillment of all criteria.
GEA is also providing a number of licenses for specialized services to enable investors from issuing commercial registers as per its list, which includes eight activities, namely: theme parks, entertainment centers, entertainment event facilities, entertainment event organization, entertainment and artistic talent management and development, entertainment venue operation, crowd organization and management, and the booking and selling of entertainment, sports, exhibition, and conference tickets. Moreover, to facilitate the process for investors, GEA published the “Investor Guide” which provides orientation on the investment processes and gives insight into various investment activities and requirement frameworks for the Saudi entertainment sector.
