Maher Julfar, Executive Vice President of Dubai World Trade Centre, said that the centre continues to invest in expanding and improving facilities to maintain its competitiveness and provide flexible exhibition halls with capabilities and specifications that match the best international standards, which in turn enhances Dubai’s position as a global destination in the events and exhibitions industry.
Julfar added that Dubai has been able to strengthen its presence in the exhibitions and conferences industry worldwide, especially as it is a global center for business and tourism. The center plays a pivotal role in developing the events sector, especially after the opening of the Dubai Exhibition Center in Expo City, which provides an area of up to 58,000 square meters, and includes 6 halls that can be divided into 14 halls, and can host up to 8 events at the same time.
“In 2023, major events pumped about AED 18.3 billion into the arteries of Dubai’s economy, an increase of 40% over 2022, which confirms the role of the Dubai World Trade Centre in supporting the local economy and the significant contributions made by events and exhibitions to various key sectors. These events supported more than 69,000 job opportunities, contributing to boosting household income in the local economy by AED 3.36 billion,” Julfar explained in statements to Al Khaleej about the value and percentage of the contribution of the exhibitions and events sector to Dubai’s gross domestic product.
Regarding the expected growth rate of demand for exhibition spaces at the centre during 2024, compared to 2023, Julfar said: The services provided by the centre and the events it organises and hosts attract parties wishing to hold or participate in exhibitions and conferences, and we are witnessing a significant increase in demand for exhibition spaces in 2024, compared to 2023, according to what we witnessed in the first half of this year.
Several factors contribute to the increased demand for exhibition space, including Dubai’s strong economic growth, the city’s status as a global tourist destination, and the ease of travel to the city from all over the world, which in turn leads to increased demand for exhibition space.
The center’s events agenda is full of a number of new events that will be held until the end of 2024, including specialized exhibitions and conferences in various fields, such as: the Home Appliances and Electronics Exhibition during June, the “China Home” exhibition, and the MDRT World Conference 2024 in September, which is organized by an independent global association that includes more than 72,000 specialists from pioneers in life insurance and financial services, from more than 500 companies in 69 countries and regions, the World Green Economy Summit, the Forex Exhibition, and the International Sports Medicine Conference 2024 of the International Federation of Sports Medicine next October.
This is in addition to the high-level annual exhibitions and conferences that we hold annually, which provide great opportunities for communication, innovation and meeting local, regional and international companies. Two new editions of GITEX have been announced: GITEX Nigeria, which will be held in September 2025, and GITEX Europe, which will be held in Berlin from May 21 to 23, 2025. A global business center
Julfar stressed that the centre represents an important factor in Dubai’s journey and development, in parallel with government plans, while continuing to work during 2024 to achieve economic growth goals through the integration and diversity of the events agenda, to enhance the emirate’s position as a global business centre and make it one of the top 3 global destinations for business and travel in 2033.
The center continues to organize and host the largest international events and exhibitions, due to their significant impact on enhancing the economic growth process and increasing the city’s GDP. It also continues to invest in smart technologies to enhance the experience of entities, companies, and visitors and promote sustainability.
The Centre will remain committed to enhancing the future of business and tourism in Dubai, as it witnesses a boom in 2024 following the exceptional success of global events organised and hosted in 2023, including COP28 and major global events such as GITEX Global, Gulfood, Arab Health, Arabian Travel Market, and others.
The centre is considered a global landmark in the events sector that contributes to driving the economic growth of the Emirate of Dubai across various economic sectors, including hotels, air travel, internal transportation, retail and restaurants, which are considered among the main economic components of the city.
- Economic impact of events
Julfar stated that the annual report on the economic impact assessment of events revealed that the events of the trade center provided about AED 18.3 billion to the Dubai economy, thanks to the establishment of 76 major events (involving 2,000 people or more) hosted by the center in 2023, a growth of 40% over last year. The events also contributed to achieving significant economic revenues and returns, and the report indicated that every dirham spent in the center’s events generated 8 times its value in the Dubai economy.
These figures highlight the role of the events sector in driving Dubai World Trade Centre’s economic growth, and reflect the significant progress made by the city’s sustainable social and economic development. The significant international visitor turnout in 2023 and the economic impact of events across sectors such as travel, accommodation and retail underscore the importance of business tourism and its role in achieving the goals of Dubai’s economic agenda.
- International participation and tourism
Julfar explained that international visitor participation contributes to enhancing the role of tourism in supporting Dubai’s economy, thanks to the increased spending of participants in purchasing goods and services from local companies, staying for long periods in hotels, and being accompanied by some of their families or friends during their visits.
2023 witnessed a 53% increase in the number of international participants to the center, compared to 2022, as their number reached 1.54 million participants, and the average spending of each of them amounted to 10,313 dirhams, an increase of more than 6 times the average spending of the local participant.
This increase reflects Dubai’s position as a global business hub that stimulates spending in the travel, accommodation and retail sectors, which boosts the GDP and contributes to the development of businesses in the city.
- Top Benefit Sectors
Regarding the most important sectors supported by the events sector in Dubai other than the tourism sector, Julfar said: The center’s performance in 2023 enhanced economic activity in many key sectors through the events it organizes or hosts, which contributed significantly to supporting sectors such as information and communications technology, healthcare, the medical and scientific sector, air travel, shopping, and others, as these sectors supported Dubai’s economy with 6.27 billion dirhams, and contributed to attracting attendees to events.