Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the region’s leading business enabler and global events powerhouse behind GITEX and Gulfood, today announced that two of the world’s biggest events driving trade and economic impact in Dubai will move to Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai in 2026. The two events are GITEX GLOBAL, the world’s largest tech and AI show; and Gulfood, the world’s largest F&B sourcing event, with Gulfood continuing to run across both venues – Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC), in the heart of Dubai’s central business district, and DEC, simultaneously.
The relocation of GITEX was announced under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
The move was formalised in an agreement signed between Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of Events & Exhibitions Management at DWTC, global organiser of GITEX and Gulfood events; and Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President of Venue Services Management at DWTC, on the second day of GITEX GLOBAL 2025. The relocation reaffirms Dubai Exhibition Centre’s emergence as the city’s mega new urban hub, purpose-built to host large-scale events that shape the world’s industries, ideas, and economies.
Global Networks Thrive in The City’s New Urban Epicentre
The move positions the Dubai Exhibition Centre as the new gravitational centre of the global mega events industry. Undergoing a US$2.7 billion expansion, DEC will become the largest purpose-built indoor events and exhibitions venue in the region, located within close proximity of the upcoming Al Maktoum International Airport — the world’s largest airport project — and fully integrated within Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan. It offers infrastructure, connectivity, and capacity to match the new chapter of GITEX’s global influence.
More than a geographical shift – the move is a strategic catapult in alignment with Dubai’s Economic Agenda (D33), the city’s economic masterplan to double the economy by 2033, creating an enabling, open platform for digital nomads, tech scale-ups, global headquarters, and foreign direct investment flows.