Why 85% of Middle East Event Organizers Need Video Localization

Middle East Conference with Multilingual Screens

The Translation Frustration

A November 2025 report on Middle East event organizers dropped a striking statistic: 85% of organizers reported frustration with live translation gaps at their events. As the region experiences rapid expansion in international conferences, trade shows, and business forums, the demand for multilingual event experiences has far outpaced the supply of solutions.

The report surveyed 500+ event organizers across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Their frustrations are real — and video localization addresses many of them.

The Core Problems

1. Simultaneous Interpretation Bottlenecks

Finding qualified simultaneous interpreters for less common language pairs (Arabic-Chinese, Arabic-Korean, Arabic-Hindi) is extremely difficult. Event organizers reported:

6-8 weeks lead time to secure interpreters for non-standard pairs
$2,000-5,000 per day per interpreter, plus travel and accommodation
Limited availability during peak event season (October-December)

2. Content Replay Problem

Events generate valuable video content — keynotes, panels, workshops. But this content is recorded in the language it was delivered in. Organizers told researchers:

73% of recorded event content is never made available in other languages
60% of international attendees wanted to rewatch sessions but couldn't access them in their language
45% of sponsors said post-event content distribution was limited by language barriers

3. Pre-Event Communication

Speaker introductions, promotional videos, and agenda walkthroughs are typically produced in English or Arabic only. This means:

Non-English/Arabic speakers arrive less prepared
Engagement drops for sessions they can't preview
Event marketing reaches a smaller audience than the event's actual scope

How Video Localization Solves Each Problem

Solving Interpretation Bottlenecks

AI video dubbing doesn't replace live interpreters for interactive sessions. But it eliminates the need for interpreters for:

Pre-recorded keynotes — dub them into 50+ languages before the event
Training and workshop videos — attendees watch in their language at their own pace
Sponsor presentations — localize once, distribute to all language groups

Solving the Replay Problem

Post-event, organizers can localize their entire video library:

48-hour turnaround for full event session dubbing
On-demand language selection — attendees choose their preferred language
Extended content lifecycle — localized sessions continue generating value for months

Solving Pre-Event Communication

Promotional and informational videos dubbed into attendee languages improve:

Registration rates from non-English markets (+40% reported by early adopters)
Session attendance when previews are available in native languages
Sponsor visibility across all language groups

The Middle East Event Landscape

The scale of the opportunity is significant:

Dubai hosts 500+ major events annually
Riyadh is rapidly scaling its event infrastructure under Vision 2030
Doha continues to leverage post-World Cup 2022 infrastructure
Regional events market valued at $14.8 billion in 2025

With attendees coming from 100+ countries, the language diversity at these events is staggering. No amount of live interpretation can cover every language pair. But AI video localization can.

Case Study: Tech Conference in Riyadh

A major tech conference in Riyadh (Q4 2025) used Vidigo to localize all recorded sessions into 8 languages within 72 hours of the event closing. Results:

4x increase in post-event video views compared to their English-only approach in 2024
22% more registrations for their next event from non-English markets
3 new sponsors signed specifically because of multilingual content distribution
$180,000 saved compared to hiring interpreters for recorded content

What Event Organizers Should Do Now

Audit your content pipeline: Identify all video content that could benefit from localization
Start pre-event: Localize promotional videos and speaker introductions before the event
Plan for post-event: Build video localization into your event timeline — don't treat it as an afterthought
Choose the right partner: Look for fast turnaround, broad language support, and natural-sounding voice cloning

The 85% frustration rate is an opportunity for organizers who act. Multilingual video content isn't a luxury — it's what modern international events require.

Explore Vidigo's event video localization solutions →