Under the new InD brand, the Gulfood exhibition will scale up to occupy two venues for the first time.
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Informa Group have signed a partnership agreement to create a new business entity, inD (pronounced “indee”), bringing their B2B live events operations across the UAE, India, Turkey, Egypt and Bahrain.
First announced in March 2025, the partnership brings together DWTC’s leadership in global B2B event intellectual property with Informa’s international scale and expertise.
The new business is designed to accelerate growth across the UAE, the wider super-region, and internationally, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for B2B live events and innovation.
inD will combine a portfolio of more than 40 major B2B brands spanning multiple high-growth market categories, including healthcare (WHX), energy (Middle East Energy), aviation (Dubai Airshow), food and beverage (Gulfood), information and communications technology (GITEX Global) and information security (GISEC).
The combined portfolio is expected to deliver more than US$650 million in revenues in 2026, with a strong pipeline of forward growth.
The formation of inD comes as Dubai significantly increases its venue capacity. The expansion at Dubai Exhibition Centre will deliver 140,000sqm of event space in 2026, further strengthening the city’s position as a leading market for B2B live events.
The first inD brand to run in 2026 will be Gulfood (26–30 January). The event will be hosted at an increased scale across DWTC’s two flagship venues, the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC) and Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), or the first time. Gulfood is expected to welcome more than 8,500 exhibitors showcasing 1.5 million products from 195 countries.
This will be followed by WHX Dubai (9–12 February) and WHX Labs Dubai (10–13 February), which will run concurrently across both major venues for the first time. The events are expected to feature more than 4,800 exhibitors and attract over 270,000 healthcare professionals from more than 180 countries.
Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “This partnership transforms Dubai into an IP and knowledge hub that not only accelerates international growth opportunities for DWTC’s flagship brands but also strengthens Dubai’s long-term GDP impact, further cementing its role as a leading global player in B2B events.”
Stephen Carter, CEO of Informa Group, said: “The creation of inD deepens our partnership with DWTC at a time of structural growth for our industry, strong economic growth across the region, and dynamic market growth in the UAE in particular, as the supply of high quality venue space increases to meet growing demand for B2B live events.”