Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC),affirmed that the DWTC’s performance in 2023 was outstanding, welcoming 2.47 million participants – a remarkable 25% surge in visitor numbers compared to 2022.

‘’This achievement was propelled by the successful staging of 301 Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events, representing an impressive 23% increase year-on-year. These results underscore Dubai’s unparalleled economic expansion and the city’s pivotal role as a prominent global hub for trade and business tourism,” said Mahir Julfar in an Interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM) about the DWTC’s performance in 2023.
‘’This rise in attendees is a testament to the robust and varied calendar of events organised and hosted by DWTC, highlighted by 107 Exhibitions and International Association Conventions and Industry Conferences. Together, these events drew in 1.56 million participants – a substantial 33% upsurge from 2022. Among these attendees, more than 722,000 were international visitors, showcasing an unparalleled 60% growth rate year-on-year,” he stated.
‘’Our own DWTC-organised events and exhibitions witnessed new highs in 2023 as we organised 20 exhibitions and events, attracting a staggering 519,000 attendees – 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-organised 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 7,200 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 its wholly owned events company 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.
With reference to the top performing sectors in 2023,Julfar noted that the Healthcare, Medical, and Scientific sector emerged as the top performing industry at DWTC, with 24 events that attracted 275,000 attendees, representing one fifth of all exhibitions and conventions held at the venue. The number of events in this sector grew from 18 in 2022, with total participation increasing by 29%. Key highlights included major events such as the UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition (AEEDC) and Arab Health.
The Information Technology sector came in second, attracting 260,000 attendees, a 17% share of the MICE category. This sector was dominated by GITEX Global and its associated events, with participation up by 41% YoY.
The Food, Hotel, and Catering sector followed closely, attracting 226,000 attendees, a 14% share of MICE events. Led by Gulfood and Gulfood Manufacturing, this sector experienced a substantial 42% increase in participation compared to 2022.
The top five industries are rounded out by Consumer Goods sector which attracted 96,000 attendees and Building, Construction and Facility Management sector, with 93,000 attendees. Notably, China Home Life and The Big 5 emerged as the leading events in their respective sectors. Other notable exhibitions and events making it to top 10 in terms of participation were Automechanica and Beauty World.

Speaking about the the scope of participation of international exhibitors in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to enhance Dubai’s economic position as a global economic destination, Julfar said the DWTC is unwavering in its dedication to advancing Dubai’s economic agenda (D33) ensuring that the emirate continues to be a progressive hub for the future economy and propelling Dubai to be a top three global economic city by 2033. The significant rise in international participation in our events in 2023 reflects our role in effectively and progressively attracting international audience to Dubai.
‘’in 2023, we hosted industry-leading events and exhibitions which saw a participation of 53,789 exhibiting companies, representing a remarkable 45% increase over 2022. An unprecedented 78% of these exhibiting companies were international (41,864), further reinforcing DWTC’s ability in consistently drawing both new and repeat international participants.”
Expanding on the successful large-scale events at DWTC in 2023, which included globally significant conferences such as COP28 at our Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai, as well as flagship events like GITEX Global, Gulfood, Arab Health, and the Arabian Travel Market, our primary focus for 2024 is growth and expansion. Both our world-leading venues, DWTC and DEC, are primed to host hundreds of high-profile and pioneering events in 2024.
‘’Additionally, we continuously work with all of our stakeholders from both government and private sectors locally and internationally to promote Dubai and DWTC across the globe. Recently, DWTC and Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, have successfully organised the first in a series of international roadshows to promote this year’s edition of ‘Expand North Star’ the world’s largest event for start-ups and investors, which will be hosted from 13 – 16 October 2024,” he said.
‘’The first of the 2024 international roadshows took place in Poland, where a series of sessions and activities were held at the Google Campus in Warsaw. The two-day event attracted 150 Polish tech companies, who participated in a total of 22 meetings. The event created a valuable platform for discussions and networking opportunities with Polish businesses and trade organisations.”
‘’We will continue to work on building new connections and networks that benefit all stakeholders within the events industry including event organisers, exhibitors, visitors, adjacent sectors to further solidify Dubai’s global status at the capital of the MICE industry,” he told WAM.

On DWTC regional expansion of events beyond the UAE last year, the Executive Vice President said:” At DWTC we are constantly widening our horizons and connections – focusing on a vision that is not just local but global in scale. In terms of regional and international expansion, we successfully launched KAOUN International with the launch of GITEX Africa and the Saudi Food Show in 2023. GITEX Africa, held in Morocco, made a significant debut as the continent’s largest tech and start-up show, drawing attendees from 128 countries, including representatives from 46 African nations.
According to him, the inaugural Saudi Food Show, the largest and most global F&B showcase in Saudi Arabia, brought together the world’s top players under one roof to create transformative change. The event achieved a remarkable success, and the second edition will be held from 21 – 23 May 2024 welcoming an unmatched global line-up of international exhibitors to seize the most incredible opportunities, partnerships, and commercial rewards to arise in the dynamic market of Saudi Arabia.
‘’We have ambitious plans and key regional and international projects in the pipeline and will continue to build on our achievements to accomplish new milestones for DWTC and the MICE industry at large,” he added.

Answering a question by WAM about the significance of utilising smart applications and data in organising exhibitions, Julfar said:” We are shedding the light on several pivotal trends are poised to define the MICE landscape in the UAE, particularly in Dubai. Ongoing digital transformation will remain a paramount force, leveraging data analytics, Big Data, Smart Apps, and artificial intelligence to deliver personalised and targeted experiences. By comprehensively understanding participant behaviour and exhibitor preferences, event organisers can precisely tailor their offerings, establishing a new benchmark for satisfaction and engagement in MICE events. This data-centric approach not only enhances the participant experience but also significantly boosts the overall efficiency and effectiveness of event planning and execution.”