Global Critical Logistics (GCL) has signed an exclusive commercial partnership agreement with SAL Saudi Logistics Services to support the growing live event market in the Middle East.

Under the agreement, SAL will provide exclusive logistics services to all GCL companies inside of Saudi Arabia, serving end customers in the entertainment, live events, (motor) sports, fine arts, and film and television production.

GCL will also support SAL for all global logistics and freight forwarding services for these end markets for projects originating in Saudi Arabia and requiring solutions into and out of the country.

"Our group has been supporting live events in the Kingdom for several years now and it has been exciting to witness the incredible development and growth of this industry and related sectors in Saudi Arabia," said Paul J. Martins, CEO, and president of GCL.

He noted that aside from being a big player in the integrated logistics services in Saudi Arabia, it "equally has the desire" and vision to further develop and grow logistics solutions for critical end markets.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an economic and social reform framework, includes plans to invest in all end markets that GCL services globally, with an estimated US$64 billion investment to aid in making the country into a top-tier destination for the entertainment industry.

"In order to deliver high-quality, dependable, and on-time solutions for critical projects, it is of utmost importance to understand local regulation, requirements, and ways of working," Martins added, noting that partnering with a locally established leader is the best way for SAL to ensure that it can deliver the high-quality value proposition that our customers expect.

SAL handles 99% of Saudi Arabia's inbound and outbound air cargo with operations at Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, and many other domestic stations, and has been building out a highly capable Logistics Solutions team focused on end-to-end services for time-critical end markets.