Things are changing in Saudi Arabia, in late September of this year the Saudi Arabian Government opened up their borders to tourism for the first time ever. As part of their effort to celebrate the occasion and promote US Commerce in the kingdom, they organized a first ever event of its kind called the Global Auto Salon, and incorporated it as part of their annual Riyadh Season celebration that includes a variety of events scattered across the capital city of Riyadh.
The Global Auto Salon featured one of the most extensive collections of super cars ever displayed as well as a live auction & automotive entertainment in the way of Drift Racing, Monster Trucks, Ferrari Racing, and world record attempts at Hot Wheels Racing Loops. To cap everything off, an exhibitor hall was included for some of the top US vendors in the world to display high end automotive accessories. Some of the vendors present were West Coast Customs, Roush Racing, Gas Monkey Garage. Chip Foose, and the Hoonigan Race team, among others.
As part of the event the auto wrap industry needed to be represented, installers from 5 well known companies located across the US were asked to collaborate, put on a show, and introduce the Auto Wrap Industry to the Saudi Kingdom. Get Graphic was honored to be included as one of these companies and traveled to Riyadh on Nov. 18th- 27th to participate in the event with:
Who Did That Inc., Charlotte NC
Savage Wraps, San Francisco CA
Auto Skins, Wausau WI
& Gecko Wraps, Las Vegas NV.
Certified Installers from all 5 companies combined to represent the industry and conduct live wrap demonstrations daily for 5 days during the event.
Overall the Saudi Arabian people were completely unaware of the wrap industry, very interested in the possibilities, and excited about things to come. Get Graphic made some first hand connections with local Sign and Graphics businesses eager to incorporate vehicle wraps into their product line. The short term plan is for Get Graphic to stay very involved first hand as the industry is introduced into this emerging market.
