Upcoming and ongoing business events in Dubai you wouldn't want to miss!

In: Blog
By: Praveen Kumar
Date: December 6, 2018
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Upcoming and ongoing business events in Dubai you wouldn’t want to miss!

Dubai truly is the city that never sleeps. A bustling metropolis, teeming with activity and energy, the Emirati city is the event capital of the Middle East. While the city has a justifiable reputation as a venue for stellar entertainment events, its status as a regional and global business hub means that it is also the preferred location for many of the top tech and business events of the region.

There are records of the Venetian pearl merchant Gasparo Balbi visiting Dubai, which he refers to as ‘Dibei’, in 1580 to conduct business with the settlement’s pearling industry. Centuries later, the city’s penchant for being a center of commerce, its engagement with traders and business people from far and wide, and its role as the throbbing regional heart for innovation and dynamism, has only grown. True to its character, Dubai’s ambition to be a definitive city of the future is set to be showcased in the Dubai 2020 Expo, which will seek to create the template for humanity’s next era of technology-enabled and people-centric civilization, with the theme of “connecting minds, creating the future”. While that groundbreaking event is still some distance in the future, here are some more immediate and upcoming business events Dubai is hosting, that you shouldn’t miss:

Infrastructure, Development and Real Estate Events

The cooler months of the year usually coincide with the most social and active in Dubai’s event calendar. The winter of 2018-19 is no exception. As a core sector in the UAE and Dubai’s economy, the infrastructure and urban development linked industries too seem to be making the most of the season with a series of events planned.

The 39th edition of The Big 5, the International Building & Construction Show, will be hosted at the Dubai World Trade Centre for four days from November 26th to 29th 2018 ⁽¹⁾. The Middle East’s largest building and construction exhibition, it will focus on the 5 key segments of MEP services, building interiors and finishes, building envelope and special construction, construction tools and building materials, and construction technology and innovation. Featuring more than 2,600 exhibitors from all around the globe, the event will attract thousands of attendees among architects, interior designers, engineers, contractors, and real estate developers.

Hosted in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the Gulf Traffic and TranspoTech event will be largest exhibition in the Middle East for its sector ⁽²⁾. To be held from the 4th to the 6th of December 2018, at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, the event will feature over 130 exhibitors from more than 50 nations. Showcasing the latest developments and

solutions in the traffic and transport industries and focusing on roads, bridges, tunneling, public transport and parking industries and solutions in the MENA region and will also feature the Gulf Traffic Awards gala.

The Indian Property Show returns to Dubai, from the 13th to the 15th of December 2018 ⁽³⁾. To be hosted at the Sheikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre, it will feature more than 500 realtors, real estate experts, builders, developers, and financiers, offering their expert insights on the Indian property market. With seminar topics ranging from investment, the new Indian RERA Law and upcoming infrastructure projects to Vaastu Shastra and legal advice, this will be an event not to be missed for those interested in the burgeoning Indian real estate market.

The focus on urban development and real estate is set to continue in 2019, with the Dubai World Trade Center hosting the International Property Show, the Middle East’s largest property sales platform, showcasing both regional and international real estate markets, from 26th to 28th March 2019 ^(4).

Service Industry, Finance and Entrepreneurship Events

As a diversifying economy with an increased emphasis on people-centric industries, the UAE has witnessed an impressive growth in the financial and service sectors. Several core industries, as well as specialized services, will be hosted in the coming days and months, in Dubai.

Hosted in conjunction by the Centre for Research & Consultancy at University of Dubai, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, as well as a consortium of 21 UAE based and AACSB/EQUIS accredited international universities, the 2nd edition of the annual International Conference on Advances in Business, Management & Law will be held at the University of Dubai on the 24th and 25th of November 2018 ⁽⁵⁾. Featuring a focus on entrepreneurship, leadership, law and Islamic finance to marketing, e-commerce, supply chain, big data and innovation, the event will announce and publish the best innovations in these fields as part of the Ph.D. Papers Awards.

HITEC, the largest and oldest hospitality technology conference in the world, which has only been held in the USA for 45 years, will be hosted by Dubai at the Madinat Jumeirah on the 5th and 6th of December 2018 ⁽⁶⁾. The event will be a platform for 500 hospitality companies and 40 solution providers, as well as featuring more than 30 subject matter experts speaking on topics such as Bandwidth, Data Analytics, and the future of smart hotels.

The 20th annual Seamless Middle East event focuses on the financial technology ecosystem, and will be held on the 10th and 11th of April 2019, at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre ⁽⁷⁾.

The exhibition will feature more than 350-exhibitors, providing a platform across payment, financial technology, retail and e-commerce industries, as well as regional government representatives and SMEs. The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Lieutenant-General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and will feature an augmented reality showcase, live demos, an innovation Launchpad and a start-up zone with the chance for participants to pitch their ideas to industry experts.

Other assorted business events

Home to the regional headquarters for companies across a variety of industries, Dubai is also going to the host to several other business expos and exhibitions, in the coming months.

The Arab Health exhibition is the MENA region’s largest event for the healthcare industry. The 2019 edition will be held from the 28th to the 31st of January at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre ⁽⁸⁾. The Dubai edition of the global MEDLAB series of events will follow soon after, at the Dubai World Trade Centre from the 4th to the 7th of February 2019. The exhibition will showcase the latest in innovative diagnostic products, equipment, and solutions, and the MEDLAB Congress will feature some 17 CME-accredited conference topics ⁽⁹⁾.

The Airport Show will host aviation authorities from across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group. To be held at the Za’abeel Halls 4-6, Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, from the 29th of April to the 1st of May 2019, the event will feature 350 exhibitors and host a list of attendees among some of the most powerful industry influencers in the region ⁽¹⁰⁾.

Conclusion

This very partial and incomplete list is actually only an indicative reference. Such is the allure of Dubai as a global business hub and so dynamic its expanding influence, that one could quite easily make just as extensive a list by excluding all the events that are listed above. One of the pleasures of being a resident in, or visitor to, Dubai, is to be at one of the nerve centers of the emerging world. If you are fortunate enough to be in Dubai for an extended period of time, be sure to investigate the events that are planned for the duration. Chances are, you will be able to interact with the finest minds and most influential stakeholders, in any among dozens of the world’s most important business sectors.