Dubai Business Events drives continued growth with bid wins, strong participation in H1
This achievement marks a 29 percent increase in bid submissions compared to the same period last year, with a total of 391 bids submitted year-to-date and a conversion rate of 64 percent, up from 58 percent in H1 2024.
These confirmed wins are expected to bring 127,087 delegates, a 35percent year-on-year increase in delegate numbers, further enhancing Dubai's global standing as a hub for international business events and the emirate's knowledge economy.
DBE's active engagement in the international market contributed to its strong performance, with teams conducting five sales missions across Asia (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, India) as well as Europe (France and Belgium) and North America, engaging over 50 stakeholders and partners as well as representing Dubai in key strategic industry trade shows such as IMEX Frankfurt during H1 2025.
Dubai's global stature as a preferred business events destination was further underlined by new accolades in 2025. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranked Dubai number one globally for highest attendee number per association meeting and the city retained its number one spot in the Middle East and Africa for total number of association meetings hosted.
Notable wins during the first half of the year include the 2029 edition of Sibos, which is expected to attract 12,000 delegates, the 2027 1st Conjoint Meeting of the Cervical Spine Research Society - Asia Pacific and Europe with 800 delegates, and the 2026 edition of the World Congress on Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ISUOG), which will bring 2,000 delegates.
Other association events include the 2026 Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat International Conference with 1,500 delegates and the 2026 International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) with 1,000 delegates.
In the corporate and incentive space, Dubai secured the 2026 Africa Energy Forum with 2,000 delegates, the Herbalife Multiple Market Incentive with 2,400 delegates, and the Planisware Incentive with 1,300 delegates.
Returning events include Token2049 in 2026 with 15,000 delegates. Google will also call Dubai its home for two of its flagship conferences in 2026 and 2028, with 4,000 delegates each year. These achievements were further supported by DBE's Al Safeer Programme, which contributed to 51 ambassador-led bids during the period, winning 32 to date.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said, 'Dubai's achievement during the first half of 2025 is a testament to the city's commitment to excellence, innovation, and collaboration in business events."
He added that the diversity and extent of events booked this year confirm Dubai's infrastructure of international standards, accessibility, and market insight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tahawul Tech
11 hours ago
- Tahawul Tech
DLSS 4 Archives
"@Cisco helps customers adapt to sophisticated threats in multi-cloud environments". Learn more about Westcon Comstor and @Teksalah's involvement in this collaboration below. #WestconComstor #Cisco #Teksalah #tahawultech
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Zawya
Du reports a stellar net profit expansion in Q2 2025 with a 25.1% year-over-year growth
Board of Directors approves interim cash dividend of AED 0.24 per share, up 20% year-over-year Dubai, UAE – Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2025. Continuing the positive momentum established in the first quarter, our revenues increased by 8.6% year-over-year, reflecting strong performance across all business segments and solidifying our market position. EBITDA rose by 16.4% resulting in an EBITDA margin of 46.8%, a 3.1 percentage points improvement year-over-year, driven by our strategic focus on value-driven products and our disciplined cost management. This operational excellence translated into an impressive net profit increase of 25.1%. In recognition of these strong financial results, the Board has approved an interim cash dividend of AED 0.24 per share, representing an increase of 20% year-over-year. Q2 2025 Highlights Solid subscriber base growth with an increase of 10.8% in Mobile and 12.0% in Fixed, reflecting positive market dynamics and good level of customer acquisition Strong market position with 8.6% revenue growth and solid performance across all business segments Impressive bottom-line growth with EBITDA up 16.4% and margin improving by 3.1 pp to 46.8% resulting in net profit rising by 25.1% 2025 guidance: 2025 Revenue growth of 6-8%, 2025 EBITDA margin: 45-47% Upgraded full-year guidance supported by the strong performance achieved in the first half and highlighting confidence in the growth trajectory Strategic investments in adjacent businesses to support future growth highlighted by: Quarterly Half year AED million Q2 2025 Q2 2024 change H1 2025 H1 2024 change Other revenues 1,085 998 8.8% 2,153 2,016 6.8% EBITDA 1,826 1,569 16.4% 3,650 3,155 15.7% EBITDA Margin (%) 46.8% 43.7% 3.1pp 47.1% 44.0% 3.1pp Net profit 727 581 25.1% 1,449 1,184 22.4% Capex 545 442 23.1% 921 801 15.0% Capital intensity (%) 14.0% 12.3% 1.6pp 11.9% 11.2% 0.7pp Operating Free Cash Flow 1,282 1,126 13.8% 2,729 2,354 15.9% Malek Al Malek, Chairman said: 'Our strong performance in the first half of 2025 reflects the effective delivery of our focused strategy, underpinned by a favourable economic environment and sustained commitment to business excellence. The Board is confident in management's customer-centric and agile approach, which reinforces du's leadership in driving innovation and adaptability. We take pride in our strategic initiatives that contribute to advance the UAE digital agenda, expanding our ICT capabilities and accelerating the digital transformation. Through partnerships with global technology leaders, we are enabling sovereign hyperscale cloud and AI services from UAE-based data centres—empowering a smarter, more connected future for the Emirates. We continue to ensure disciplined capital allocation and sustained long-term value creation for our shareholders. Reflecting our robust first-half results and continued confidence in du's future prospects, the Board has approved an interim dividend per share of 24 fils, underlining our enduring commitment to shareholder returns.' Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO commented: 'Our second quarter financial results showcased impressive performance, fuelled by the meticulous execution of our strategy and consistent growth across every aspect of our operations. We achieved double digit growth in both our Mobile and Fixed subscriber base, underscoring our market leadership and brand strength. We advanced our network coverage and enhanced our connectivity offering with the commercial rollout of 5G Advanced. Our fibre infrastructure also expanded significantly, supporting long-term demand for high-speed connectivity. We launched the UAE's first sovereign hyperscale cloud platform, the National Hypercloud, and made advances in deploying our hyperscale data centre in collaboration with Microsoft, positioning us at the forefront of secure, AI-ready digital infrastructure. These operational achievements translated into strong financial performance underpinned by our disciplined approach to value creation and cost efficiency. The solid revenue growth of 8.6% year-over-year was coupled with strong profitability as EBITDA margins expanded by 3.1 percentage points to 46.8%, translating into a 25.1% increase in net profit. Our upgraded full-year guidance reflects the strong performance achieved in the first half of the year, our confidence in the resilience of our business model and our ability to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.' Customer base In Q2 our Mobile customer base grew by 10.8% year-over-year, reaching 9.1 million subscribers, representing 893,000 net-additions year-over-year. Postpaid rose 9.8% year-over-year to 1.9 million customers supported by strong momentum in the enterprise segment. Prepaid grew by 11.1% to 7.3 million subscribers, reflecting the continuous success of the Alo brand among blue-collar workers and the expansion of retail presence in underserved areas, as well as a solid tourist activity. In Q2 our Fixed customer base recorded a strong year-over-year growth of 12.0%, reaching 706,000 subscribers, with 76,000 net-additions over the past 12 months. This performance was driven by the continued success of our Home Wireless offering as well as sustained demand for fibre broadband services, reflecting our enhanced value proposition and our expanding Network. Q2 2025 Financial Highlights Revenues surged by 8.6% year-over-year reaching AED 3.9 billion, marking strong performance across both service and non-service revenues. This strong performance underscores the continued momentum in our core business and the successful execution of our revenue diversification strategy. Mobile revenues climbed by 7.7% year-over-year to AED 1.7 billion reflecting sustained growth in our customer base and the success of our targeted propositions and highly effective marketing campaigns. The optimized use of digital and retail channels also enhanced customer acquisition and engagement, further fuelling revenue momentum. Fixed revenues rose by 10.1% year-over-year reaching AED 1.1 billion mainly driven by the ongoing expansion in Home Wireless and Fibre customer base. We witnessed encouraging traction in the SME segment, along with increased adoption of Office Wireless solutions-further cementing our position as a trusted partner for connectivity and productivity. 'Other revenues' recorded an 8.8% year-over-year growth to AED 1.1 billion buoyed by higher inbound roaming and interconnection revenues—reflecting our expanded Mobile base, higher handset sale, and growth in ICT revenues in line with our strategic ambition to broaden revenue streams beyond traditional connectivity. EBITDA grew by 16.4% to AED 1.8 billion, with the EBITDA margin improving by 3.1 points year-over-year to 46.8%. The uplift was fuelled by a stronger gross margin, mainly benefiting by a more favourable mix, with continued migration toward unlimited data plans. Our continued discipline around cost efficiency and collections also played a pivotal role in enhancing profitability. Net Profit rose by 25.1% year-over-year to AED 727 million, delivering a Net Profit margin of 18.6%. This reflects the strength of our operational performance and a clear focus on value creation for our shareholders. Capex reached AED 545 million (Q2 2024: AED 442 million), representing a capex intensity of 14.0% (Q2 2024 capex intensity of 12.3%). This increase reflects our commitment to scaling our data centre capabilities and supporting long-term digital infrastructure growth. Operating free cash flow (EBITDA – Capex) rose by 13.8% to AED 1.3 billion, underpinned by strong EBITDA growth. This robust cash generation provides the financial flexibility to invest in future growth while maintaining attractive shareholder returns. Based on these results, the Board approved an interim dividend of AED 0.24 per share for the first half of the year, representing a 20% increase year-over-year and reflecting the strong financial performance and confidence in our outlook. About du du adds life to life with a comprehensive portfolio of mobile, fixed, broadband, entertainment services, and fintech solutions. Through a digital-first approach powered by ultra-reliable fibre and 5G technology, du delivers bespoke solutions leveraging cloud computing, AI-driven analytics, advanced cybersecurity, and IoT integration. As a trusted digital telco enabler spearheading the UAE's digital transformation, we collaborate with a dynamic partner ecosystem to propel industries and society toward operational excellence, shaping a more connected and digitally advanced future across the region.
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Zawya
Blackstone CEO says preparing portfolio companies for IPOs
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman said on Thursday the asset manager is preparing some of its portfolio companies for initial public offerings over the next few quarters. (Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
