Dubai is preparing to host thousands of visitors across more than 100 exhibitions in the last four months of the year as the emirate's events are revived after the disruption caused by the Iran-US war.
Authorities on Wednesday gave an upbeat outlook, kicking off with the travel trade show next week. The events calendar is full through to December, when 200,000 technology executives from more than 180 countries are expected to attend Gitex Global.
The Arabian Travel Market and Gitex were among the major shows postponed and rescheduled after the conflict forced organisers to delay.
Events will be held at both the Dubai Exhibition Centre venue at Expo City and the older Dubai World Trade Centre halls to accommodate a packed programme covering energy, the green economy, real estate, construction and beauty.
Mahir Julfar, executive vice president of DWTC, said the healthy pipeline of events sent a message to the world that Dubai was safe, accessible and ready to welcome business.
"Every show we host is the door opener for the next show to become bigger and to have the trust that Dubai is the place we want to travel to,” he told The National after a press briefing at the Dubai Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.
“Looking at all the applications, growth of registrations, whether it's from the organisers or from people trying to apply for visas to come to our shows, we see there is big growth," Mr Julfar added.
'We can host the world safely'
Organisers worked closely with authorities to manage the postponement of major exhibitions originally scheduled between March and June.
"We worked with the organisers, and they were supportive because they know Dubai; they've been working with us for years, and they know how Dubai operates,” Mr Julfar said, adding that exhibitors showed little hesitation beyond difficulties reaching the city by direct flight, and even then we’ve seen people flying in from all over the world."
Officials said enquiries began picking up last month. Mr Julfar pointed to Jpex, an entertainment and pop culture event, as an early signal of shifting sentiment in late August.
"It was a great opening message to the world that we can host the world safely. These numbers are really positive for us."
An international humanitarian event drew 21,000 visitors, a pharmaceutical conference in August drew more than 31,000, and a regional energy event this month brought in 35,000 professionals.
“The situation has changed, but the objective remains the same,” Mr Julfar said. Security and safety are our priority, but at the same time, we're going ahead.”
Long-term vision
The two-venue model has been central to absorbing the volume of events, according to Amer Al Farsi, vice president of real estate development at DWTC.
“If we didn't have dual exhibition spaces, we would not be able to host 100-plus events, conferences, exhibitions simultaneously,” Mr Al Farsi told The National.
"We have more than 200,000 square metres of exhibition space, and that helps us make it the busiest quarter in the history of the Dubai Exhibition Centre and Dubai World Trade Centre.”
Expansion plans to make the Dubai Exhibition Centre the largest indoor venue in the Mena region by 2031 remain on track despite logistical challenges from the war. Dubai has come back stronger and sourced alternatives within the region to keep construction on schedule, Mr Al Farsi said.
"We immediately changed our procurement strategy; we go to a supply chain that's available within our city, within our region, that is able to deliver whatever we require." Speaking of DEC's long-term vision, he described the setback as a "short-term challenge".
"We should not lose sight of the bigger picture, and we need to keep going," he said. “Nothing will stop our growth. We have to go on at full speed and ensure facilities and infrastructure is ready for Dubai to have sustainable growth.”
The Dh10 billion expansion of DEC is part of long-term investment in infrastructure and capacity to meet the growing needs of the business events industry. Phase one was delivered in time in January with 140,000 square metres to handle 50,000 people daily at the DEC venue for Gulfood and the World Health Expo earlier this year.
Construction continues in phase two to build a concourse by September 2027 that will link the halls, build more parking and ready the area for future venues to host multiple events simultaneously.
