Regional luxury communications and events agency, The Qode announced the opening of a regional office in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new office in Riyadh is part of The Qode’s wider expansion plans into the Kingdom, in response to the rising demand for credible representation from luxury, lifestyle and F&B brands investing in Saudi Arabia. Ranked amongst the top 15 countries with the highest consumption of luxury goods globally, Saudi Arabia represents the largest GCC country with one of the biggest percentages of high-net-worth individuals amongst its population. Driven by rising income levels, the Saudi luxury market has exhibited steady growth and the Kingdom is one of the few countries that saw a sharp growth in sales during the height of the pandemic. The Qode’s Co-Founders and Managing Partners Ayman Fakoussa and Dipesh Depala, along with their partners at The Independents group, identified a growing need from existing and potential clients to invest in this increasingly important market, one unlike any other GCC country. Commenting on the expansion, Fakoussa said: “My family has been in Saudi Arabia since 1980, and I grew up among highly educated and well-traveled Saudi friends. This new generation of Saudis represent the future of the Kingdom, and are part of the foundation that drives Saudi Vision 2030, under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman. “The Qode is proud to to be part of this remarkable progress in Saudi Arabia, and we are thrilled to be able to offer our clients a unique perspective from within KSA, in an effort to consistently improve our level of service and innovation.” The Kingdom has undergone important shifts, resulting in the tremendous appetite for new experiences, lifestyle offerings, and entertainment amongst the Saudi population. With so many recent developments, it is crucial for companies to have local insights successfully enter this significant market. “Most of the large luxury groups now have local entities in the Kingdom, along with full marketing and events teams that often operate independently from the regional offices in Dubai, which is why having an on-ground team is imperative,” explained Depala. “For many years, we were able to successfully manage the Saudi market from Dubai, but in light of the increasing demand it became clear that The Qode required physical on-ground support all year round. The Qode’s expansion has been met with tremendous excitement from our clients, who are pleased that we can help them excel and shine in Saudi the same way we do in the UAE,” added Depala. The Qode, with its partner agencies at The Independents Group (Bureau Betak, Karla Otto, Lefty and K2), aim to contribute to the Kingdom’s transformation into a leading global hub by supporting the introduction of unique new experiences, exciting lifestyle offerings and groundbreaking entertainment events through the agency’s ever-expanding client portfolio. Speaking on the overall development of The Independents Group, CEO Isabelle Chouvet said, “The Middle East market is a very important region for our clients and as a group we look forward to developing our services in the region with our companies, with the local support of our partners The Qode. “We are already working on several projects in the region with Karla Otto in terms of communications as well as events for our global clients with K2 and Bureau Betak.” Speaking about the new developments, Zeina Hallassou Sakr, The Qode’s general manager said: “The expansion into the Kingdom has been in the works since 2019 and were unfortunately stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the agency’s positive growth projections have enabled us to resume our expansion plans and invest significantly into Saudi.” “The Qode already has three full-time consultants in Riyadh, with plans to grow the team in numbers and competencies by the end of Q1 2022, and we look forward to further developing the agency’s capabilities within the Kingdom over the coming years and beyond,” added Sakr. The Qode’s ambition is to remain being the leading lifestyle agency in the region and continue servicing our clients in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and now Saudi Arabia, with plans to work more closely with the Egyptian market, which is growing in importance across several sectors. The Qode held its first KSA brand showcase / press day in Riyadh on Sunday, Jan. 30, at ‘The A Fashion House’ in BLVD Riyadh Seasons. The event was attended by media, influencers, clients and VIPs and showcased the latest collections from brand in its portfolio such as Givenchy, MCM, Rimowa, Mouawad, Bil Arabi, Louboutin, IWC, Mango, H&M, COS, Zara, Alo Yoga and many more. To mark their launch in Saudi Arabia in a meaningful way, The Qode collaborated with a local charity who used artworks made by children with down syndrome to create sweatshirts to gift their clients. A donation was made to Saut: The Voice of Down Syndrome Society as part of The Qode’s ongoing philanthropic efforts. — SG