With a striking creative imprint and a wide public turnout, the “Crafts and Handicrafts Exhibition,” organized by Asharqia Chamber, represented by its Social Responsibility Center, in its ninth edition, held under the generous patronage of the Governor of the Eastern Province and opened by His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Eastern Province, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at Dhahran Expo, recorded a strong start embodied in the large turnout of visitors, who expressed their delight at the exhibition being held for the ninth consecutive year, as a vibrant platform that merges the authenticity of the past with the developments of the future.
The exhibition continues until Friday, September 4, from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., offering visitors an integrated experience that combines the authenticity of handicrafts with the beauty of the arts and creativity, and giving participants an important opportunity to introduce and market their products and reach wider segments of the public.
Nearly 350 Exhibitors Celebrate Creativity and Heritage
The exhibition features the participation of nearly 350 male and female exhibitors representing an elite of craft and handicraft business owners and productive families, along with a number of incubating and enabling entities, who present through their pavilions a wide and varied range of products and handmade works that reflect the richness and diversity of local talent.
The contributions range from craft and artistic products and handmade works to food, beverages, perfumes, incense, sweets, and other products offered by productive families and small business owners, in a scene that reflects the ability of these groups to turn individual skills and talents into marketable and competitive products. The exhibition also includes the participation of a number of government and private entities, civil associations, and relevant development centers and committees, particularly those that play an important role in incubating productive families, empowering artisans, and supporting owners of emerging projects.
An Economic Platform for Empowering Artisans and Productive Families
Asharqia Chamber Chairman, Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Farraj, explained that since the launch of the exhibition’s first edition in 2015, Asharqia Chamber has been keen to turn it into a leading platform bringing together craft and handicraft business owners, productive families, and visual artists, providing them with a suitable space to display their creations, introduce their products, and reach a new audience of consumers. He noted that the exhibition is not merely an event for displaying and selling products, but an integrated space for introducing local talent, building direct channels of communication between producer and consumer, and providing new opportunities for marketing and expanding the customer base, helping participants develop their projects and achieve greater sustainability.
He affirmed that supporting artisans and productive families is not merely support for a limited commercial activity, but contributes to building a more inclusive economic and social system, by encouraging local production, stimulating self-employment, and creating new marketing channels for talented individuals and owners of emerging projects.
Supporting the Crafts Sector Within the Targets of Vision 2030
Al-Farraj said that the Crafts and Handicrafts Exhibition embodies the national direction toward empowering the crafts and handicraft industries sector and enhancing its contribution to the national economy, as one of the sectors rich in energies and talents capable of creating new economic opportunities. He added that supporting this sector is in harmony with the targets of Vision 2030, which focus on diversifying the economy, empowering members of society, strengthening the role of small establishments and projects, and making optimal use of local capabilities and resources. He highlighted the role played by Asharqia Chamber, represented by its Social Responsibility Center, in supporting the community responsibility system and strengthening its presence in the region’s business sector, through the implementation of a range of programs and initiatives targeting the various segments of society. He stressed that Asharqia Chamber will continue to adopt initiatives, programs, and events that serve craft owners, productive families, and entrepreneurs, and contribute to providing a more suitable environment for the growth of their projects, opening wider horizons for them toward empowerment and sustainability and turning individual talents into economic projects with a tangible impact.
The Largest Exhibition of Its Kind in the Eastern Province
The “Crafts and Handicrafts Exhibition” is one of the most prominent and largest specialized events for supporting and empowering artisans, visual artists, handicraft business owners, and productive families in the Eastern Province. It gives them a wide space to showcase their talents and products to a diverse audience, helping strengthen their presence in the market and introduce local products, in addition to providing the opportunity to communicate directly with visitors and learn about their needs and preferences.
The exhibition’s pavilions are spread across a range of diverse fields, including crafts and handicrafts, painting and decor, cooking and food, perfumes and incense, sweets, coffee, spices, and beverages, in addition to pavilions dedicated to civil associations and relevant development centers and committees.
This diversity reflects the breadth of the participant base and the multiplicity of fields of creativity and production, and gives visitors a rich experience that combines shopping with discovering local talent and viewing products that carry distinctive artistic and craft touches in their details.
Continued Success and a Remarkable Turnout of Visitors
Previous editions of the Crafts and Handicrafts Exhibition achieved remarkable success in terms of turnout and participation, and received wide praise from visitors who found in the exhibition a different experience combining the diversity and quality of products with direct communication with craft owners and productive families.
The variety of pavilions and the multiplicity of products also gave visitors an integrated shopping experience, which a number of followers described as approaching, in its diversity and organization, the shopping experience in major malls, with the exhibition’s distinctive feature of being able to get to know the product and its maker up close and hear the story of each product and how it was prepared or made.
The importance of this experience is not limited to the consumer side, as it allows visitors to discover diverse local talent and encourages them to acquire locally made products, which strengthens the culture of supporting productive families, project owners, and artisans.
A Marketing Guide That Builds Bridges After the Exhibition Ends
As part of Asharqia Chamber’s keenness to ensure the continuation of the exhibition’s marketing impact after its activities end, a printed marketing guide is distributed to visitors, containing the participants’ details, names, and products, along with a brief introduction and links to their online accounts.
The guide makes it easier for visitors and customers to reach the participants after the exhibition ends, and gives them the opportunity to continue communicating with their audience and marketing their products throughout the year, rather than limiting the marketing benefit to the days of the event.
This approach reflects Asharqia Chamber’s keenness for the exhibition to go beyond the bounds of a seasonal event, to become a consolidation of sustainable marketing relationships and an effective channel of communication between product owners and customers, enhancing the opportunities for growth and continuity for artisans and productive families.
Celebrating Heritage and Investing in Talent
Through its diverse contributions and the visitors’ turnout, the Crafts and Handicrafts Exhibition confirms that handicrafts and local arts are no longer merely individual practices or heritage products, but have become a promising field that can contribute to empowering individuals and creating new economic opportunities, alongside its role in preserving cultural heritage and introducing it to new generations.
Through this event, Asharqia Chamber continues its efforts to turn local talents and creations into opportunities for growth and sustainability, strengthening the presence of crafts and handicrafts in the economic and cultural scene and giving their owners a greater space to appear, develop, and reach markets and customers.