Dubai Business Events (DBE) concluded a successful exhibition at IBTM World 2025 in Barcelona, asserting the city’s role as a leading global destination for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) sector and aligning with the ambitious Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. The participation, featuring a large delegation of local industry stakeholders, highlighted Dubai’s expanding pipeline of secured events and its record-breaking international rankings, signaling robust confidence in the emirate’s event hosting capabilities.
The official convention bureau, a division of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), led a contingent of 32 industry partners, including prominent entities such as Emirates, Expo City Dubai, Coca Cola Arena, and the Dubai World Trade Centre. This collaborative approach showcased Dubai’s unified, business-ready ecosystem designed to facilitate major international gatherings.
Strategic Alignment and Global Recognition
DBE’s presence at IBTM World—an event themed around ‘People. Power. Potential.’—underscored Dubai’s commitment to fostering meaningful connections and advancing global collaboration. The exhibition followed the bureau’s active participation in other strategic industry events throughout 2025, including EPEX, IMEX Las Vegas, and several ICCA summits.
Dubai’s growing stature in the MICE world is backed by significant international accolades. According to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) reports for 2025, Dubai maintained its ranking as the global leader for the highest attendee numbers per association meeting. Furthermore, the city secured the top spot in the Middle East and Africa for the total number of association meetings hosted. Separately, Cvent named Dubai the region’s number one meetings destination.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), emphasized the impact of the participation. “IBTM World 2025 served as an excellent platform to engage with international partners and reaffirm Dubai’s growing influence on the global stage,” Al Khaja noted. “The strong interest we witnessed, 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.”
Record-Breaking Growth in Business Events
Dubai has demonstrated sustained momentum throughout the first half of 2025. DBE successfully secured 249 successful bids for conferences and congresses scheduled through 2029, marking a 29% increase year-on-year. These secured events are projected to attract over 127,000 delegates, representing a significant 35% rise compared to the previous year.
Key to this success is the improved 64% conversion rate for bids and the continued expansion of the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme, which now comprises more than 370 influential ambassadors actively advocating for Dubai as a host city.
The strength of the MICE sector mirrors Dubai’s broader tourism performance. Dubai International Airport (DXB), recognized as the world’s busiest international airport for the 11th consecutive year, welcomed 70.1 million passengers during the first nine months of 2025. Concurrently, the emirate attracted 13.95 million international overnight visitors during the same period, a 5% increase year-on-year, highlighting the crucial synergy between business and leisure travel.
Future Outlook and Infrastructure Investment
To accommodate future growth in business events, Dubai is actively bolstering its infrastructure. This includes the major expansion of the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai, alongside ongoing city-wide development and airport enhancements. These strategic investments are designed to strengthen the emirate’s capacity to host increasingly large-scale, complex international events, ensuring Dubai remains a dominant force in the global MICE landscape for the decade ahead.