Emirates Projects interview with GBB Venture’s visionary leader Ravi Kumar Chandran, Founder and Managing Director.
With the 17th Edition of the Real Estate Development Summit – Europe Edition – on the horizon, all eyes are on the industry’s most influential B2B platform, bringing together global stakeholders from across the real estate value chain. At the helm of this highly anticipated event is Ravi Kumar Chandran, Founder and Managing Director of GBB Events, a leader known for curating meaningful connections that shape the future of built environments.
In this exclusive interview, Emirates Projects talks with Ravi about the vision driving the summit, the changing landscape of real estate development, and how the event continues to spark transformative collaborations on a global scale.
Emirates Projects: As GBB, you have taken the RED Summits From Nairobi to Lisbon – What has the journey been like through the years?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: It’s been an incredible journey—full of meaning, momentum, and continuous learning. From Nairobi to Lisbon, each RED Summit has shaped our growth—expanding not just in scale, but in impact. Every challenge along the way has been a valuable stepping stone, helping us refine our approach and strengthen the platform. What started with a few bold conversations is now a global stage connecting real estate and hospitality leaders across continents. It’s been rewarding to see the tangible outcomes—partnerships formed, projects accelerated, and markets opened up.
Emirates Projects: What major contrasts can you pin down between the real estate markets in the middle east and Africa?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: We’ve spent considerable time in Africa, and in many ways, it has felt like home. The Middle East—particularly Saudi Arabia—moves at a bold, rapid pace. Africa, in contrast, has a strong culture of patience, humility, and respect for time—qualities that have been invaluable. In the Middle East, where relationships are fast-moving and ambition drives the pace, combining that with Africa’s long-term mindset creates a powerful balance. Each market offers a unique perspective on how real estate and hospitality evolve.
Emirates Projects: You’ve hosted 24+ events across 15+ countries and somehow every event takes it a notch higher, by the things we hear from the attendees, which is very hard to achieve. What drives this consistency and scale of your global platforms?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: The real credit goes to our team, our process, and the intention behind everything we do. We’re obsessed with creating real value—whether it’s for a developer looking for the right partner, or a supplier seeking the right market entry. We treat every event like it’s the first one, and every client like they’re the only one.
Our feedback loop plays a huge role—we listen closely, adapt fast, and always look for ways to make the next experience even better. Consistency comes from being grounded in service, but scale comes from being bold with vision. That balance is what drives us.
Emirates Projects: Saudi Arabia is a strong focus in your event portfolio. What excites you most about the Saudi market?
What excites us most about Saudi Arabia is the sheer scale and ambition of the market. The size of the projects, the budgets involved, and the pace at which things move—it all demands a different level of creativity and responsiveness.
The speed of decision-making here challenges us to innovate constantly. It forces us to elevate our execution and match that energy in everything we do—whether it’s how we curate meetings or design the summit experience. That’s what keeps it exciting—not just for us, but for everyone who attends.
Emirates Projects: With giga-projects like NEOM, Red Sea, and Diriyah in full swing, how is GBB helping global companies access these opportunities?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: At GBB, we help global companies access opportunities in Saudi giga-projects by doing what matters most—saving time. Our summits are built around a rigorous internal process that brings the right people into the room: decision-makers from NEOM, Red Sea, Diriyah, and other landmark developments.
Through a highly curated face-to-face meeting format and pre-qualified matchmaking, solution providers have direct access to key stakeholders. Even if these project leaders attend just one event a year, we ensure it’s the right one—with relevant peers, focused discussions, and aligned topics that spark collaboration. It’s not just access—it’s access with purpose
Emirates Projects: You have recently started catering to the investment aspect of real estate, how do you see that spanning out in the future?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: We see the investment side of real estate becoming a key pillar of our work going forward. It’s a natural progression—and a powerful one—because no project moves without the right capital behind it.
We’re keeping this initiative intentionally exclusive. These are closed-door, invite-only formats with a select group of high-level investors, developers, and stakeholders. No media, no noise—just meaningful, efficient conversations. Our goal is to match the right investment with the right project at the right time. If we can continue to do that well, the long-term impact will be tremendous
Emirates Projects: What do you do differently that attracts such sought-after investors to your forum?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: What sets us apart is our unwavering focus on quality and intent. Our forums are designed for decision-makers only—carefully curated, limited in number, and highly relevant. We don’t chase volume; we build value.
Behind the scenes, we follow a strict internal framework to ensure every participant—whether they’re raising capital, investing, or facilitating deals—brings substance to the table. It’s not about panels and presentations. It’s about real conversations that lead to real outcomes. Less talk, more investment—that’s the energy we curate.
Emirates Projects: How have you seen the decision-making ecosystem evolve in Saudi Arabia — and what should international brands understand about it?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: Decision-making in Saudi Arabia is fast-paced and incredibly focused. Everything operates on a defined timeline, with Vision 2030 as the driving force. What’s impressive is how structured and world-class the process is—led by top professionals from around the globe and powered by advanced, tech-enabled systems.
It’s not just fast—it’s precise. International brands with quality solutions should see this as a major opportunity. The market is moving quickly, and those who can match its pace while delivering real value are the ones who will thrive.
Emirates Projects: What are some key real estate and investment trends you’re seeing in the Saudi market that European stakeholders should be aware of?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: Saudi Arabia is at a transformational stage—driven by Vision 2030 and a strong national commitment to innovation, sustainability, and global collaboration. The country is not only building cities, but reimagining them through pioneering projects like NEOM, Diriyah, and The Red Sea Project. These developments are engineering marvels, designed with sustainability, advanced infrastructure, and cutting-edge technology at their core.
What the market is actively seeking now are solution providers, design thinkers, and partners who bring in world-class expertise—particularly in luxury, sustainability, smart urbanism, and future-forward engineering. There is a strong appetite for innovative, tailor-made solutions that can match the ambition and scale of Saudi Arabia’s emerging lifestyle and tourism ecosystems.
For European stakeholders, this is more than an opportunity—it’s a strategic moment to align with a market that is open, well-funded, and visionary. Saudi Arabia is actively welcoming foreign investment, especially from those who can contribute to its bold redefinition of real estate and hospitality experiences. Those who enter early and bring differentiated value will be best positioned to grow with the market over the long term.
Emirates Projects: You talk a lot about ‘creating value’ — how does that philosophy translate into the way you deliver your services?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: For us, creating value isn’t just a philosophy—it’s a way of life. It starts internally, with our culture. As a team, we focus on creating value for each other every day, and that mindset naturally extends to how we serve our clients and partners.
Everyone who spends their time and money with us does so with the intention of growing their business and network—and we take that responsibility seriously. Our data-driven approach to matchmaking is detailed, sometimes exhausting, but always focused on outcomes. When “creating value” is your north star, you naturally find new, better ways to deliver it—and that’s how we continue contributing to the growth of the industry.
Emirates Projects: How do your summits support Vision 2030 — especially in tourism, hospitality, and real estate development?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: Our summits take a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to supporting Vision 2030 across tourism, hospitality, and real estate. We bring global innovation to Saudi Arabia by continuously identifying and introducing world-class solution providers who can help bring the Kingdom’s ambitious projects to life.
Beyond products and technology, we actively facilitate creative exchange—connecting leading international architects and interior designers with Saudi stakeholders to shape the next generation of iconic developments through meaningful collaboration.
On the investment front, we draw the attention of global investors to the Saudi market and create dedicated spaces for them to meet project owners and developers seeking strategic capital and partnerships.
More than just a series of events, our platform is a global amplifier of Saudi Arabia’s vision. With every summit and every interaction, we’re spreading the word about the Kingdom’s transformation—and actively contributing to the partnerships needed to make it a reality.
Emirates Projects: How do you envision the role of events like yours evolving in the global real estate and design space?
Ravi Kumar Chandran: We see our events evolving into even more strategic platforms that go far beyond the traditional exhibition model. Unlike typical trade shows, our summits are a curated blend of knowledge exchange, targeted networking, and precision-matched face-to-face meetings—designed around the real needs of attendees.
With pre-scheduled 1:1 meetings based on mutual interest, exclusive speaking sessions led by industry leaders, and a decision-maker–only format, we ensure that every conversation counts. Attendees don’t just browse booths—they gain insights, make meaningful connections, and explore tangible business opportunities aligned with their goals.
As the global real estate and design landscape becomes more complex and fast-paced, we believe the demand for focused, content-rich, and high-value engagements like ours will only grow. Our role is to provide a platform where innovation meets strategy, and where every participant leaves with something actionable—be it knowledge, partnerships, or investment potential.
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