Dubai is preparing to welcome more than 100 exhibitions, conferences, and business events during the final quarter of 2026, spread across Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai, in a busy season that reflects the continued growth of the emirate’s events and exhibitions sector.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, Dubai World Trade Centre reviewed the outlook for business events throughout the remainder of 2026, which will include more than 100 exhibitions, conferences, and events across its two venues.
The upcoming season coincides with continued progress on the second phase of the Dubai Exhibition Centre masterplan expansion, a project with a total value of AED 10 billion that is set to further strengthen Dubai’s ability to host major international events in the years ahead.
The upcoming events calendar reflects continued confidence in Dubai among event organizers and the international business community, covering a wide range of sectors including technology, travel and tourism, energy, real estate, construction, beauty, and sustainability.
The events scheduled alongside the ongoing expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre also highlight Dubai’s long-term investment in infrastructure and capabilities designed to meet the growing needs of the global business events industry.
More Than 100 Events in Dubai Before the End of 2026
The final quarter of 2026 will bring significant activity to Dubai World Trade Centre’s events calendar, with more than 100 exhibitions, conferences, and business events taking place across Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai.
The scale of the program reflects Dubai’s continued ability to attract major international events across a wide range of sectors, supported by the emirate’s advanced infrastructure for organizers, exhibitors, and visitors.
These events also bring together companies, investors, and decision-makers from multiple markets, helping support business activity while creating opportunities to build partnerships and access new markets.
A Packed Calendar of Exhibitions and Conferences
The final-quarter schedule at Dubai World Trade Centre covers a broad range of vital sectors. The season began in September with the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition, DUPHAT, the Middle East Energy exhibition, and Arabian Travel Market.
October will be followed by a series of major events, including ARABLAB, the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition, WETEX, the World Green Economy Summit, Gulfood Manufacturing, Big 5 Global, and Beautyworld Middle East.
The year will conclude with GITEX Global in December, rounding out a season that brings together some of the most prominent specialized and international events hosted in Dubai.
Dubai World Trade Centre’s two venues — Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai’s central business district and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai — give organizers the flexibility to host events of different types and sizes while meeting a wide range of operational requirements.
The capabilities of both venues also make it possible to host several major exhibitions at the same time, further strengthening Dubai’s ability to attract global companies and bring together multiple industries in one destination.
Business Events Support Dubai’s Economy
Maher Julfar, Executive Vice President at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “The business events sector continues to demonstrate its resilience and ability to keep pace with changing needs, and this is clearly evident at the present time. As we approach a busy final quarter, we remain focused on delivering the highest levels of service to organizers, exhibitors and visitors, strengthening confidence and supporting the pace of growth with every event we host.”
Julfar added: “Business events play a key role in driving Dubai’s wider economic growth, attracting companies, investors and decision-makers from around the world to the city to close deals, build partnerships and access new markets. We are optimistic about the long-term commitment of event organizers. As we prepare for the upcoming season, we remain focused on supporting Dubai’s growth as a global hub for business events.”
This outlook highlights the growing role of the events sector in supporting Dubai’s broader economic activity, not only through exhibitions and conferences, but also through the business, investment, and partnership opportunities they create for companies and institutions from around the world.
Dubai Exhibition Centre Expansion
Amer Al Farsi, Vice President of Real Estate Development at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “The expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre is designed to meet the future requirements of the global events sector. The first phase demonstrated the capacity and flexibility that the expanded centre provides, and we continue to build on these foundations during the second phase.”
He added: “Expansion works continue to progress in line with our plans, while Dubai Exhibition Centre remains fully operational. Our ambition goes beyond simply providing greater capacity and larger spaces. We are working to develop a world-class destination that offers an exceptional experience for organizers, exhibitors and visitors. As the expansion progresses, we are working to provide the infrastructure and flexibility needed to host larger and more complex international events, while supporting Dubai’s long-term growth as a leading global destination for business events.”
The expansion reflects Dubai’s drive to build an integrated platform capable of meeting the future needs of the exhibitions and conferences sector, while providing larger and more flexible spaces for international events of varying size and complexity.
180,000 Square Meters Upon Completion
Once the Dubai Exhibition Centre expansion is completed in 2031, the venue is expected to reach a total area of 180,000 square meters across a span of 1.2 kilometers.
Daily capacity will rise to around 65,000 visitors, while the venue will be capable of hosting more than 20 events simultaneously.
The expansion supports Dubai World Trade Centre’s ambition to increase its annual economic contribution to AED 54 billion by 2033, in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.
These expanded capabilities will provide Dubai Exhibition Centre with more space to accommodate international events experiencing continued growth, while also allowing several major events to take place at the same time.
Dubai Exhibition Centre Expansion in Three Phases
The expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai is being carried out in three phases, with the aim of developing a new generation of infrastructure dedicated to the business events sector.
The project will provide greater capacity for major international exhibitions that are experiencing rapid growth in Dubai, while supporting the emirate’s efforts to strengthen its position among the world’s leading destinations for exhibitions, conferences, and business events.
The first phase of the expansion was completed at the beginning of 2026, bringing the total area to 140,000 square meters of indoor space specifically designed for events, with capacity to welcome 50,000 visitors per day.
Following the expansion, Dubai Exhibition Centre hosted Gulfood and the World Health Expo as its first major events, demonstrating its readiness to accommodate large-scale international exhibitions.
Progress on Phase Two During 2026
Construction work on the second phase of the Dubai Exhibition Centre expansion made significant progress during 2026. The phase includes additional exhibition space, as well as improvements designed to provide a more integrated visitor experience and easier access to the venue’s facilities.
Once phase two is completed, indoor exhibition space is expected to reach 160,000 square meters, while daily capacity will increase to around 60,000 visitors.
The work also includes extending the main concourse to connect the halls developed under phases one and two, while a new eastern access road will improve links with Expo City Dubai and existing passenger drop-off areas.
The project also includes a new multi-story parking facility providing around 7,000 spaces, helping improve accessibility and support smoother visitor movement during major events.
Together, these developments will give Dubai Exhibition Centre greater flexibility to host large-scale global events while accommodating several events at the same time.
