Dubai strengthens its position as a global MICE powerhouse
The emirate of Dubai has once again underscored its leadership in the global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry — thanks to a major showing at IBTM World 2025 and a stellar year of event-hosting achievements.
🔹 Strong presence at IBTM World 2025
The city’s official convention bureau, Dubai Business Events (DBE), attended IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona (Nov 18–20), backed by 32 partners spanning hotels, venues, destination-management firms, planners and major stakeholders including Expo City Dubai, Coca‑Cola Arena, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and major airlines.
The delegation leveraged the global event to highlight Dubai’s world-class infrastructure, business-ready ecosystem, and capacity to host large-scale international conferences.
📈 MICE metrics & growth in 2025
According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Dubai ranked #1 globally in 2025 for highest attendance per association meeting — and #1 in the Middle East & Africa region for number of association meetings hosted.
The city also secured 249 successful bids for events from 2025 through 2029 — a 29 % increase year-on-year.
These future events are forecast to draw over 127,000 delegates, a 35 % rise compared to previous years.
🏟️ Event infrastructure and turnout: record numbers
The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) — the region’s flagship business-events venue — hosted 378 events in 2024 (up 26 % YoY), welcoming 2.65 million participants — a 7 % increase from the previous year.
The MICE segment alone (meetings, conferences, exhibitions) saw participation from 2.03 million attendees in 2024 — a 30 % increase over 2023. International participation reached over 942,000 people (≈ 46 % of all MICE attendees), underlining Dubai’s draw as a global business-event destination.
Exhibitor numbers also rose: about 58,665 exhibiting companies took part in 2024 events, 77 % of which were international firms — highlighting the global commercial appeal of Dubai’s event ecosystem.
🌍 Strategic push & long-term ambitions
Dubai’s MICE-growth is tied to its broader economic and development strategy under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which envisions expanding the emirate’s business-tourism footprint.
As part of that push, DWTC has entered a strategic partnership with Informa Group to launch a new global-scale entity — Informa International — aimed at leveraging Dubai as a base for exhibitions, conferences, and trade shows across the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.
This move is projected to expand Dubai’s events output, export its marquee expo brands globally, and fuel double-digit growth, reinforcing its aim to become the world’s premier MICE hub.
🧭 Why this matters: Dubai’s strategic edge
Dubai combines world-class venues and infrastructure (e.g. DWTC, Expo City Dubai), connectivity (via major airlines and transport links), and global business appeal — a rare trifecta that supports large-scale, cross-border events.
The clear growth in both quantity (number of events, bids won) and quality (size of participation, international representation) shows that Dubai isn’t just chasing volume — it’s becoming a trusted, first-choice global meeting point.
Through MICE-driven tourism and business events, Dubai strengthens its economic diversity, draws foreign business, and enhances its global profile beyond leisure tourism — strategically positioning itself as a global knowledge & commerce hub.