Innovators working on ideas for pilgrims have a new route to support: the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is holding the “Future of Hajj Innovations Bootcamp” as part of the sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition, aiming to turn promising concepts into workable, scalable services across every stage of the pilgrim's journey.

The conference, under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, is organised by the ministry with the Pilgrim Experience Program, a Saudi Vision 2030 program. It runs in Jeddah from November 8 to 11 under the slogan “From Makkah to the World”.

Participants choose among five tracks: smart operations and crowd management; sustainability and resource efficiency; pilgrim experience and services; awareness and training; and the pilgrim journey. They receive specialised mentoring and chances to develop their proposals, along with financial support, incubation opportunities and other benefits.

The bootcamp links with the conference's other innovation spaces, including the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Zone, the Hackathon Zone and the Technology Oasis, where entrepreneurs and developers work on initiatives to raise service quality.

More than 520 government, private and non-profit entities from over 150 countries are taking part, as early preparations begin for the 1448 AH Hajj season. The ministry invited organisations and specialists to register at hajjconfex.com/visitor-registration.