Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the global events and exhibitions industry powerhouse and a leading business enabler, has unveiled its 2023 results with outstanding performance, offering an insight into Dubai’s unprecedented economic growth and its position as a powerful international convening platform for business and trade enablement. Home to a diverse, economy-shaping roster of business and trade events, DWTC welcomed 2.47 million participants in 2023, marking a remarkable 25% increase in visitation compared to the previous year. The results were driven by 301 Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), and business and consumer events, a notable 23% rise year-on-year.
The impressive increase in visitors reflects the strength of DWTC’s diversified content-rich calendar, led by 107 Exhibitions and International Association Conventions and Industry Conferences. These events collectively attracted 1.56 million attendees, marking a substantial 33% increase compared to the previous year. Of these, over 722,000 were international attendees, representing an unprecedented 60% growth year-on-year.
These industry-leading events and exhibitions saw a participation of 53,789 exhibiting companies, representing a remarkable 45% increase over last year. An unprecedented 78% of these exhibiting companies were international (41,864), further reinforcing DWTC’s ability to consistently draw both new and repeat international participants. The surge in foreign business attendees furthers the aspirations of the D33 Agenda, to propel Dubai to be a top three global economic city by 2033.
The diversity of DWTC’s robust events calendar was further reinforced by its consumer and leisure events portfolio growing last year to host a total of 35 entertainment, live, and leisure events collectively attracting over 850,000 visitors.
DWTC organised 20 exhibitions and events, attracting a staggering 519,000 attendees
DWTC further solidified its appeal as the venue of choice with 33 new entrants to its events calendar, including 17 Exhibitions, 9 International Associations Conventions and 7 conferences. These events collectively attracted nearly 95,000 participants and over 2,000 exhibiting companies. Some of the prominent new additions were World of Coffee, World Police Summit, International Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies – IFOS 2023, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East, and Asia Baby Children Maternity Exhibition.
New highs for DWTC-organised exhibitions and events
In 2023, DWTC organised 20 exhibitions and events, attracting a staggering 519,000 attendees, marking an impressive increase of 42% year-on-year. Of these, 265,000 were international attendees, recording a massive jump of 108% year-on-year. DWTC’s own events attracted over 17,000 exhibiting companies, up by a solid 45%. Of these, over 13,000 were international, marking an impressive 68% increase.
Flagship events such as GITEX Global and Gulfood maintained their leadership positions in their respective sectors, experiencing notable growth in visitors by 44% and 31% respectively.
GITEX Global expanded to a city-wide scale, with Expand North Star serving as a satellite event, held at Dubai Harbour, a strategic move to accommodate the event’s unprecedented growth. The world’s largest tech showcase attracted a remarkable 245,000 attendees and hosted over 7200 exhibitors demonstrating increasing popularity.
Gulfood, renowned as a crucial platform for food and beverage producers, welcomed more than 134,000 trade visitors while boasting an impressive showcase of 5,200 exhibitors.
DWTC’s global expansion endeavours, through KAOUN International, saw the successful launch of the GITEX Africa and Saudi Food Show in 2023. GITEX Africa held in Morocco made a ground-breaking debut as the largest tech and start-up show in Africa, attracting attendees from 128 countries, including representatives from 46 African nations.
H.E. Almarri: “MICE sector fuels Dubai’s growth.”
H.E. Helal Saeed Almarri said: “DWTC is steadfast in its commitment to advancing Dubai’s economic objectives and the D33 agenda, ensuring the emirate remains a forward-looking hub for emerging industries and technologies. The notable increase in international participation underscores the global recognition of Dubai’s significance. Looking at 2024, we’re committed to building on these successes, driving forward our mission to position Dubai as a hub for pioneering ideas and transformative initiatives.”
DXB LIVE experiences robust growth locally and internationally
In 2023, DXB LIVE, the experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), demonstrated remarkable expansion, managing a diverse portfolio of 500 events, including exhibitions, conferences, public entertainment events, concerts, weddings, graduation ceremonies, and more, the agency showcased its versatility and proficiency. Among these events, DXB LIVE served as the primary contractor for 65 exhibitions, including flagship events like Gulfood, GITEX Global, GISEC, CABSAT, and the Dubai International Boat Show.
Throughout 2023, the experiential agency built 300 exhibition stands, collectively spanning over 145,000 square metres – a doubling of the previous year’s figures. As part of its international expansion plans, DXB LIVE produced exhibition stands in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Riyadh, Marrakech and Hisar in India. As well as exhibition pavilions for the UAE Ministry of Economy in Russia and South Korea.
DWTC Free Zone and Asset Management records strong performance
DWTC Authority Free Zone, Dubai’s leading driver of global competitiveness, known for fostering innovative SMEs, issued 601 new licenses. This brought the total number of licensed companies within the free zone to 1,900, underscoring its pivotal role in driving economic growth and entrepreneurship.
Additionally, DWTC’s real estate and asset management business delivered robust performance in 2023. Notably, One Central, DWTC’s flagship development, achieved an impressive 95% occupancy rate. This accomplishment solidified DWTC’s position as a highly sought-after destination for nurturing growth and innovation within DWTC’s Free Zone.
Source: Dubai World Trade Centre
 has achieved a remarkable milestone with a record-breaking 2.47 million visitors in 2023.){kind=link}