Dubai sees 'exceptional year' for business events

The emirate has won close to double the number of event bids in 2022 compared with 2021.

Dubai secured 232 business events in 2022, almost 100% more than in 2021.
Dubai secured 232 business events in 2022, almost 100% more than in 2021. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/eranda

Dubai has recorded an ‘exceptional year’ of successful bids for international conferences, congresses and meeting and incentive travel programmes.

The destination’s convention bureau, Dubai Business Events (DBE), said it won 232 bids for business events in 2022, almost twice as many as the previous year. These events are expected to attract an additional 135,000 visitors including scientists, thought-leaders and business executives to Dubai.

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Dubai's performance in 2022 represented a 95% growth in the number of successful bids from 2021 and a 92% increase in the number of delegates added to the pipeline.

The city was particularly successful in bidding for association events, with wins including the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine WorldLab Congress 2024, International Congress of Endocrinology 2024, World Sports Medicine Congress 2024, World Congress of the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologies 2026, and International Symposium on Dental Hygiene 2028.

DBE’s bid wins were run in collaboration with a number of different partners, including Al Safeer Congress Ambassadors and the public and private sector entities they represent, industry partners including Dubai World Trade Centre and Emirates, and hotels and professional congress organisers across the city.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said: “The remarkable growth in successful event bids contributes to the goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 to make the city one of the top three global destinations for tourism and business. Inspired by the Dubai leadership’s economic vision, our goal has not only been to grow the business events sector and drive further visitation to the city, but also to ensure it can feed into the development of key sectors and professions.”