RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s first-ever gathering of international audio content creators has got underway in Riyadh. The Ignite the Sound event, taking place in the capital’s King Abdullah Financial District until Oct. 22, includes more than 20 workshops, 75 keynote speakers, and 30 panel discussions. During the conference, regional and world experts will be offering advice on techniques for producing quality podcasts and audio content. Mohammed Al-Rubaian, secretary of the Saudi Digital Content Council, opened the event which he said aimed to link creative people with international specialists in the digital sector who could assist and mentor them. “The digital economy holds many opportunities, and one of the essential pillars of the digital economy is digital content. “We have been watching the market for the past two years and saw the potential. We aim to raise the market size by 267 percent. That would increase participation in the domestic product seven times on current levels, and jobs 12 times by 2030,” he said. During the opening ceremony, Mohammed Islam, host of “The Mo Show” podcast, discussed ways to make an income from digital content with guests Chirag Desai, founder of Amaeya Media, Hadeel Al-Eisa, Ithra’s director of communication and content production, and James Cridland, editor of Podnews. Islam, whose English podcast offers an insight into daily life in Saudi Arabia, questioned if the relatively low cost of setting up podcasts could pose a competition threat to mainstream media organizations. Cridland said: “I think big corporations already know this, such as the BBC, and they are losing some of their real talents as they go to a podcast where they can be freer and less regulated, allowing them to do more.” He noted that there were more than 4 million different podcasts around the world. “It is up to you as a consumer to decide if this content is right for you,” he added. Desai said: “If you want to be a podcaster, there are two things that matter: The purpose of why you are doing it, and then having a plan, because many podcasts fail because the plan wasn’t there.” Islam pointed out that 200,000 of the 4 million podcasts had only managed a maximum six episodes because their creators had either not been consistent or failed to introduce new material. Al-Eisa said the main focus of many podcasters was on going viral. “Sometimes they wouldn’t consider their content, especially some new young content providers; they focus on going viral and becoming a trend which kills all of it, and I think people should focus on the purpose.” With the goal of helping to make Saudi Arabia one of the leading digital nations by 2030, the Ignite executive program hosts intergenerational conversations in a bid to remove barriers and open new avenues for knowledge sharing and information exchange.