Dubai is continuing to establish itself as a leading global destination for international business events, having secured 504 bids to host major business events spanning key economic sectors and diverse professional fields over the past four years. This achievement comes as the result of efforts by the Dubai Business Events office, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, working in collaboration with significant partners from both the public and private sectors.
The annual growth rate in successful bid hosting has reached 15%, which bolsters Dubai’s position as a competitive global center for business events, aligning with its long-term economic priorities.
The events secured for the year 2025 are projected to draw approximately 272,262 participants to Dubai by 2029, marking a 29% increase from the 209,545 attendees expected in 2024. This influx will have a direct impact on meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions, as well as the broader tourism and travel ecosystem within the city.
In addition to attracting a large number of participants, these events will introduce global expertise, talent, and investment opportunities to Dubai, reinforcing its role as a hub for knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration across various sectors.
Focus on Knowledge Economy
According to Ahmad Khaja, Executive Director of the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment: “With the guidance of our visionary leadership, the business events sector continues to achieve milestones that align with its essential role in supporting Dubai’s economic growth and strengthening its status as a global knowledge economy.”
The outstanding performance of this sector in 2025 reflects the increasing confidence that associations, organizations, companies, and incentive travel planners place in Dubai as a premier destination capable of hosting world-class business events that create a lasting impact.
Looking ahead to 2026, Khaja added, “We will continue to enhance our relationships and collaborations with partners to elevate Dubai’s standing within the global business events landscape, in line with the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and delivering value to the city, organizers, and participants in the long term.”
Future Direction
Dubai has successfully secured a series of major global conferences with a forward-looking focus, including the World Engineers Conference 2027, expecting 3,000 attendees, the Global Abimondia Conference 2027 with 5,000 participants, the World SICOT Congress 2027 with 2,700 attendees, the World Critical Care Conference 2028 anticipating 4,500 participants, as well as the annual conference and exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE ATCE) in 2028, expected to gather 8,000 attendees, alongside the World Ophthalmology Conference 2028, expected to attract 12,000 participants, showcasing Dubai’s growing appeal across high-value knowledge sectors.
Additionally, Dubai has enhanced its presence in the corporate events and incentive travel segments by securing hosting rights for major global programs, such as the Africa Energy Forum 2026, expecting 2,000 participants, UNLEASH Middle East 2026 with 2,000 attendees, and the Herbalife Leaders Meeting 2026 with around 2,500 participants.
This achievement underscores Dubai’s capacity to attract significant global business events, which offer substantial economic impact and international prestige extending over multiple years.
481 Events
In 2025, Dubai hosted 481 business events supported by Dubai Business Events, compared to 429 events in 2024, reflecting a 9% annual growth rate. This growth in event attraction is a direct result of successful bidding efforts led by the office, highlighting the strength and diversity of Dubai’s comprehensive agenda for both international and local business events.
This momentum is also evident in the bidding activity, with 747 bids submitted in 2025, an increase of 11% from the 669 bids recorded in 2024.
This consistent performance reflects Dubai’s competitive advantages as a preferred destination for hosting business events, complemented by coordinated efforts from both public and private sectors.
Furthermore, this success highlights Dubai’s distinct characteristics that position it as a leader in this arena, including accessibility, advanced safety and security levels, developed infrastructure, and extensive experience in hosting major international conferences and exhibitions, which in turn supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, further establishing the city as a global hub for business and entertainment.
Among the notable bids secured for conferences and meetings of international associations in 2025 are the Arab Radiology Conference 2025, expected to attract around 1,500 participants, the American College of Cardiology – Middle East Conference 2025, organized in partnership with the American College of Cardiology and expecting to engage 1,000 participants, along with the Middle East and North Africa Committee on Multiple Sclerosis Research Conference, also anticipated to attract 1,000 participants.
International Outreach
To ensure sustained global presence, Dubai Business Events continued its active international outreach program throughout 2025, participating in key trade shows and platforms across the global business events sector, including IMEX Frankfurt and America, IBTM Barcelona, IBTM World, and The Meetings Show, as well as a busy annual schedule of external promotional campaigns, evaluation site visits, and invited delegations to priority markets.
These initiatives have solidified Dubai’s position at the forefront of international event organizer interests across association, corporate, and incentive travel sectors. Dubai Business Events has also continued to enhance its strategic initiatives throughout the year, including the Ambassador Program, aimed at empowering experts and sector leaders based in the Emirates to attract international conferences relevant to their fields.
This strong performance continues Dubai’s legacy of achievements and recognition according to prestigious global indicators, as the emirate ranked first worldwide in average attendance for association meetings and first in the Middle East and Africa for the number of meetings hosted, according to classifications from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and Cvent.
Moreover, Dubai’s comprehensive competitiveness is reflected in its rise to fourth place globally in the Smart Cities Index issued by IMD for 2025, alongside recording record levels of air connectivity, as Dubai International Airport achieved the highest passenger traffic in its history during the first half of 2025, enhancing the city’s appeal for hosting international business events.
As Dubai enters 2026, it boasts a robust calendar of confirmed international business events for the upcoming years, which positions it to further solidify its global standing, generate sustainable economic impact, and support long-term growth in a knowledge-based economy through its integrated business events strategy.