Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the global events and exhibitions industry powerhouse, and a leading business enabler, said it hosted 2.47 million visitors in 2023, marking a 25% increase in visitation compared to the previous year.

Announcing its 2023 performance results, DWTC said that the surge in attendance was driven by 301 Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), business and consumer events, a notable 23% rise year-on-year.

The results also offered an insight into Dubai’s unprecedented economic growth and its position as a powerful international convening platform for business and trade enablement, DWTC said.

The increase in visitors, DWTC said, reflected the strength of its diversified content-rich calendar, led by 107 exhibitions and international association conventions and industry conferences.

These events collectively attracted 1.56 million attendees, marking a substantial 33% increase compared to the previous year.

Of these, over 722,000 were international attendees, representing an unprecedented 60% growth year-on-year. These industry-leading events and exhibitions saw a participation of 53,789 exhibiting companies, representing a remarkable 45% increase over last year.

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.

The surge in foreign business attendees furthers the aspirations of the D33 Agenda, to propel Dubai to be a top three global economic city by 2033.

The diversity of DWTC’s robust events calendar was further reinforced with its consumer and leisure events portfolio growing last year to host a total of 35 entertainment, live, and leisure events collectively attracting over 850,000 visitors.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, said: “DWTC’s increasingly diverse exhibitions and events portfolio, along with its allied businesses, continue to go from strength to strength.

“The past year has been shaped by extraordinary momentum across the entire business and trade ecosystem, with DWTC emerging as a catalyst for agenda-shaping discussions and actionable agreements.

“Culminated by successful hosting of COP28, Dubai remains a frontrunner in the global events and exhibitions landscape, supported by DWTC’s leading role on the international stage in alignment with the government’s 2033 strategic economic goals”.

DWTC further solidified its appeal as the venue of choice with 33 new entrants to its events calendar, including 17 exhibitions, nine international associations conventions and seven conferences.

These events collectively attracted nearly 95,000 participants and over 2,000 exhibiting companies.

Some of the prominent new additions were World of Coffee, World Police Summit, International Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies - IFOS 2023, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East, and Asia Baby Children Maternity Exhibition.

In 2023, DWTC organised 20 exhibitions and events, attracting a staggering 519,000 attendees, marking 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’s own 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.

DWTC’s global expansion endeavours, through 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.

Helal Saeed Almarri said: “DWTC is steadfast in its commitment to advancing Dubai’s economic objectives and the D33 agenda, ensuring the emirate remains a forward-looking hub for emerging industries and technologies.

“The notable increase in international participation underscores the global recognition of Dubai’s significance. Looking at 2024, we’re committed to building on these successes, driving forward our mission to position Dubai as a hub for pioneering ideas and transformative initiatives”.

In 2023, DXB LIVE, the experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), demonstrated major expansion, managing a diverse portfolio of 500 events, including exhibitions, conferences, public entertainment events, concerts, weddings, graduation ceremonies, and more, the agency showcased its versatility and proficiency.

Among these events, DXB LIVE served as the primary contractor for 65 exhibitions, including flagship events like Gulfood, Gitex Global, Gisec, Cabsat, and the Dubai International Boat Show.

DWTC Authority Free Zone, Dubai’s leading driver of global competitiveness, known for fostering innovative SMEs, issued 601 new licences.

This brought the total number of licensed companies within the free zone to 1,900, underscoring its pivotal role in driving economic growth and entrepreneurship. – TradeArabia News Service