Dubai strengthens global standing as premier MICE hub following strong participation at IBTM World 2025

Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, has concluded its successful participation at IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona, further reinforcing Dubai’s position as one of the world’s most dynamic business events destinations. The city’s presence highlighted its strong global rankings, expanding pipeline and alignment with the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.

DBE participated alongside a delegation of 32 industry partners, representing hotels, venues, DMCs, planners and major entities including Emirates, Expo City Dubai, Coca Cola Arena and Dubai World Trade Centre. Together, they showcased Dubai’s collaborative, business-ready ecosystem for hosting major global gatherings.

This year’s IBTM theme, ‘People. Power. Potential.’, aligned with Dubai’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections, advancing knowledge exchange and empowering global collaboration. DBE’s participation at IBTM followed its presence at other strategic industry events in 2025, including EPEX, IMEX Las Vegas, the ICCA Middle East Summit in Bahrain and the ICCA Congress in Porto.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said:
“IBTM World 2025 provided an excellent platform to engage with international partners and reaffirm Dubai’s growing influence on the global stage. The strong interest we saw at the show, supported by our leading international rankings and the results achieved this year, underlines the world’s confidence in Dubai as a destination that consistently delivers meaningful and high-impact business events.”

Dubai’s international recognition has continued to grow in 2025. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Dubai remained #1 globally for highest attendee numbers per association meeting, and #1 in the Middle East and Africa for number of association meetings hosted. Cvent also named Dubai the #1 meetings destination in the region, reaffirming the emirate’s strength in delivering high-impact events and supporting international associations in deepening their global reach.

Dubai’s H1 2025 results demonstrated sustained momentum. DBE secured 249 successful bids, a 29% year-on-year increase, for events taking place through 2029. These conferences and congresses are expected to attract over 127,000 delegates, a 35% rise year-on-year, supported by an improved 64% conversion rate and the continued growth of the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme, now comprising more than 370 ambassadors.

The strength of Dubai’s MICE sector reflects the city’s broader tourism performance. Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport for the 11th consecutive year in 2024, welcomed 70.1 million passengers in the first nine months of 2025, up 2.1% year-on-year. The emirate also received 13.95 million international overnight visitors during the same period, a 5% year-on-year increase, underscoring the synergy between leisure and business travel.

Looking ahead, Dubai is bolstering its readiness for future business events growth through the expansion of the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai and ongoing city-wide infrastructure and airport development. These enhancements will further strengthen the emirate’s ability to host large-scale, global events.

About Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment
Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), is responsible for developing Dubai’s retail, gastronomy, family entertainment and event sectors and supporting the positioning of Dubai as a world-class tourism destination and the best place to live, work and visit.

About Dubai Business Events
Dubai Business Events (DBE) – the Official Convention Bureau, aims to further develop and increase Dubai's share of the international business events market in order to grow economic development, jobs and knowledge creation in the emirate. DBE’s main goal, as a division of DET, is to establish the Emirate as a premier business event destination by helping organizers of international meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions plan and manage every aspect of their event. As a member of Best Cities Global Alliance, DBE aims to deliver the world's best service experience for the meeting industry.

View News Headlines