DUBAI: 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.’’