Many exhibitions were held in a purpose-built hall of inflatable construction and a vast number of countries participated in those early years. Indeed, ACE can proudly claim that a number of international brand names in the different sectors of the industry signed their agency with Saudi sponsors in the period 1978 - 84 through those exhibitions. The period 1985 - 1990 saw a stabilisation of markets and a corresponding reduction in exhibitions but the Saudi market retained it's maximum share of business in the Middle East. A mini-boom following the Gulf War boosted the exhibition industry and new exhibitions were added to the ACE calendar.

World and regional economic situations drive exhibition requirements. Global recession from 1995 saw many companies turning to ACE to promote their products in a cost effective way while the return to financial stability brought by higher oil revenues in more recent years has led to a more visible flamboyance at many of the shows. Through all the fluctuations, ACE has amassed a wealth of experience unmatched in the region.

The relationship between ACE and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry is historic. When JCCI built the Arab world's most prestigious exhibition centre in 1990, they invited Al Harithy to relocate. As a result, ACE established a new headquarters at the splendid new facility, known as Jeddah International Exhibition & Convention Centre. Already operating within the region's largest market, this move emphasised the upward mobility of the company and provided ACE exhibitions with a showcase that was second to none.