Exhibitions in Dubai 2026 to 2027: The Exhibitor Calendar and When to Book Your Stand Staff

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Cover Page Agency · Est. 2015

Italy · UAE · France

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Updated 29 September 2026

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Dubai does not have an exhibition season any more. It has an exhibition year. From October 2026 to November 2027 the city hosts a major trade show almost every week, and several of the largest now share the same weeks across two venues: Dubai World Trade Centre in the business district and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai.

This calendar is written for exhibitors, not visitors. For every major show you will find the dates, the venue, and the date by which your stand hostesses, promoters, models and photo and video crew should be confirmed. When you are ready to plan the team, our staffing agency in Dubai builds it for you.

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The Dubai exhibitions calendar 2026 to 2027 at a glance

Dates were checked on each organiser or venue site on 29 September 2026. The last column is our own guidance, based on how fast the best stand staff in Dubai are booked before each show.

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Two changes matter this season. GITEX Global leaves its October slot and Dubai World Trade Centre, as Executive Moves reported, and becomes a December show at Expo City. Gulfood moves to March 2027 and, like World Health Expo, runs across both venues at once. For the weeks when every stand in the city is hiring at the same time, see the peak dates to book ahead.

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Where Dubai exhibitions happen: the two venues on a map

Almost every show on this calendar happens in one of two places. Dubai World Trade Centre sits on Sheikh Zayed Road in the city centre, with World Trade Centre metro station at the door, and its plan your visit page lists metro, taxis and ride hailing as the easy ways in. Dubai Exhibition Centre sits in Expo City Dubai, the former Expo 2020 site in Dubai South, next to Expo 2020 Station at the end of the Red Line, according to the venue’s getting here page.

For exhibitors the distance shapes everything: where your team sleeps, when they leave, and how early they reach the stand before doors open. The map below shows the route between the two.

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October to December 2026: the busiest quarter of the year

Gulf News reported on 9 September that more than 100 exhibitions, conferences and business events are scheduled across the two venues in the last quarter of 2026. Exhibit City News quoted DWTC describing a concentrated calendar of large events. For exhibitors that means one thing: the same pool of experienced stand staff is asked for by several shows in the same week.

CABSAT opens the quarter on 5 to 7 October, for the first time at Dubai Exhibition Centre. Beautyworld Middle East follows on 6 to 8 October at Dubai World Trade Centre for its 30th edition. Beauty and fragrance stands live on sampling and demonstrations, so this is where brand ambassadors and models earn their place.

WETEX, the water, energy and environment exhibition of DEWA, runs on 20 to 22 October at Dubai World Trade Centre, with 3,100 exhibitors at its last edition according to DEWA. November stacks three shows in eight days: Gulfood Manufacturing on 3 to 5 November, then Automechanika Dubai and GESS Dubai, both on 10 to 12 November. Big 5 Global, the construction show, closes the month on 23 to 26 November; our Big 5 Global stand staff guide covers it hall by hall.

GITEX Global ends the year: a one day summit on 7 December and the expo from 8 to 11 December at Dubai Exhibition Centre, as the Dubai Media Office announced. December is also the peak of Dubai’s tourist season, so hotels, drivers and good staff are all in demand at once. Read our GITEX Global 2026 stand staffing guide before you brief your team, and plan around the Dubai Shopping Festival, which competes for the same promoters over the winter.

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January to November 2027: security, healthcare, food, travel, design, aviation

Intersec Global, the security, safety and fire protection show, opens 2027 on 12 to 14 January at Dubai World Trade Centre, according to its official site. World Health Expo Dubai, formerly Arab Health, follows on 25 to 28 January across both venues.

Gulfood takes place on 15 to 19 March 2027 across both venues. Food stands need the most hands, and our Gulfood 2027 sampling staff guide sets out how many. Ramadan falls just before the show, so plan training around Ramadan 2027 staffing. Arabian Travel Market returns on 3 to 6 May 2027 and INDEX, the interior design show, on 1 to 3 June 2027, both at Dubai World Trade Centre. The Dubai Airshow is confirmed for 15 to 19 November 2027 at the DWC Dubai Airshow Site.

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How Dubai became an exhibition city: a short history

Dubai World Trade Centre opened in 1979 with the Sheikh Rashid Tower, Dubai’s first major tower and business centre, according to DWTC. GITEX followed in 1981, and its 2025 edition was the 45th. Today the venue is part of a two site system: in November 2024 DWTC started building the AED 10 billion expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre, and Khaleej Times reported that phase 1, 140,000 sq m, hosted its first show in January 2026, with phases planned to 2031.

The numbers explain why exhibitors keep coming. Gulf Today, reporting DWTC’s 2025 results, counted 401 events and 2.97 million attendees, with more than 20,000 companies exhibiting at the 14 flagship shows. Zawya reported that DWTC events generated AED 25.03 billion in economic output in 2025 and supported more than 94,000 jobs.

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Brands that stood out at recent Dubai shows

At the Dubai Airshow 2025, Emirates ordered 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft worth USD 38 billion on the opening day, the Dubai Media Office reported: proof that a stand can be the stage for a deal the whole world hears about. At GITEX Global 2025, 6,800 technology companies and 2,000 startups exhibited, according to the organiser’s closing release on PR Newswire. Big 5 Global reported 2,866 exhibitors and USD 3.34 billion of business generated at its 2025 edition. Beautyworld Middle East drew visitors from 178 countries in 2025, according to Messe Frankfurt Middle East.

What these stands had in common was preparation: a clear message, a team that knew it, and content ready to publish while the show was still running.

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How to get tickets for Dubai exhibitions

Most Dubai exhibitions are trade shows for industry visitors, and each organiser runs its own registration. The steps are the same everywhere:

1. Open the official show site from the calendar above, never a reseller.
2. Choose the visitor pass and register with your company details.
3. Download the badge to your phone or print it; you scan it at the entrance.
4. Check the venue, the hall and the opening hours for each show day.

Prices differ by show. CABSAT offers a free visitor pass on its official site, while the GITEX Global 2026 pass costs AED 630 on the organiser’s registration page. Exhibitors receive their own badges through the organiser, so your stand team does not need visitor tickets.

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Book your stand at a Dubai exhibition

The shows that pay back fastest are those where your buyers already walk the aisles: technology at GITEX, construction at Big 5 Global, food at Gulfood, beauty at Beautyworld. Book floor space through the organiser’s sales team; Dubai World Trade Centre says your organiser is always the first point of contact, and its Event Plus platform then sells stand services such as utilities, catering, cleaning and data.

Floor space is priced per show, and build costs vary with the type of stand. Kreative Clan put 2026 Dubai stand builds in three bands; staff and content are quoted to your stand, show and hours.

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When to book stand hostesses, promoters and models

A stand team is not a list of names. It is a set of jobs, and every job needs one person who does only that:

• Stand hostesses. Greet visitors in the aisle, scan badges and pass qualified buyers to your sales team. One per open side of the stand is a sound starting point.
• Promoters and brand ambassadors. Run demonstrations, sampling and product talks, briefed before day one.
• Models. For launches, fashion, beauty, cars and jewellery, where the product has to be worn, held or presented.
• Multilingual staff. Arabic, Russian, Chinese, French or Italian speakers, depending on who walks your hall.
• A team leader. From five staff, one person runs breaks, rotations and the handover of leads.

For a standard show, confirm your team six weeks before opening. For GITEX, World Health Expo, Gulfood and the Airshow, move that to eight to ten weeks. Leave a week for fittings and a briefing call, and ask any agency for its licence and the work permit each person holds. EXHIBITOR Magazine’s guide to exhibiting in Dubai also advises conservative business dress and securing labour well in advance.

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Same day photo and video from your stand

A stand costs weeks of work and lives for three or four days. During those days the show, its buyers and its media all publish in real time, and the brands that post while the show is running ride that wave. SkyNet X Solutions notes that higher event density means exhibitors need stronger promotion to stand out.

That is why Cover Page Agency in Dubai works with on spot editing. Our photographer shoots your stand, your launch and your buyer meetings, and within the hour you receive edited, print quality photos at 300 ppi, ready for socials, your website and the press. Short reels follow the same day. Video is filmed on the Sony FX5, with internal 16 bit X-OCN RAW and 5K open gate, and stills on the Sony A1 at 50.1 megapixels. See our photo and video packages for brands.

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What we see on the floor

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How to plan your stand team for the 2026 to 2027 season

• Now. Pick your shows from the calendar above and check the dates with the organiser.
• Ten weeks out. Book stand staff and your photo and video crew for the largest shows.
• Six weeks out. Book for every other show. Send the stand plan, opening hours and dress code.
• Two weeks out. Brief the team on the product, the lead process and the questions buyers always ask.
• Show day. Team leader on the floor, a lead handover every few hours, content posted the same day.
• After the show. Leads followed up within 48 hours, photos and video delivered for the campaign.

Since 2015 we have placed hostesses, promoters, models and content teams on stands across Dubai’s exhibition halls. The calendar is full, the halls are larger, and the best people are booked first. Plan your team as early as you plan your stand.

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The author

Lukas Götze

Marketing Director, Cover Page Agency

Over 1,000 activations across Dubai, Milan and Lyon since 2015. Turns events into brand moments with professional content and verified results.

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