Dubai: The hospitality division of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has reported exceptional growth in 2025, serving 1.28 million guests across 2,578 events, a significant 37% increase compared to 930,000 guests in 2024.
These record-breaking results further strengthen DWTC Hospitality’s position as a leading provider of large-scale and customised catering services for government, corporate, and private sector clients across the region.
Strong Presence Across Major Venues
DWTC Hospitality expanded its operations across key venues including the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai Exhibition Centre, and Jafza One Convention Centre.
In addition to in-house venues, the division also managed multiple off-site and private events across the United Arab Emirates, showcasing its operational flexibility and scale.
Leadership Perspective
Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President at DWTC, highlighted the division’s role in strengthening Dubai’s events ecosystem. He emphasized that the organisation continues to deliver world-class service while scaling operations to meet growing global demand.
He also noted that ongoing investments in infrastructure, talent, and multi-venue capabilities—along with the expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre—will support future mega events and enhance Dubai’s global reputation.
Exhibition Catering Sees Major Surge
Exhibition catering emerged as a standout segment in 2025, with guest numbers exceeding 240,000, more than double the 120,000 served in 2024.
This growth was driven by flagship events such as Gulfood, World Health Expo Dubai, Arabian Travel Market, and GITEX Global.
International expansion also played a role, with DWTC Hospitality supporting GITEX Africa, demonstrating its cross-border capabilities.
Growth in Conferences and Business Events
The conferences, associations, and business meetings segment recorded strong performance, catering to over 123,000 attendees. This reflects Dubai’s growing appeal as a global hub for high-level business events.
Corporate and Private Events Maintain Momentum
Corporate and private events remained a key growth driver, with over 600,000 guests served, up from 400,000 in 2024.
The wedding segment also showed strong performance, hosting 56,554 guests, highlighting DWTC Hospitality’s ability to deliver both large-scale and personalised experiences.
Venue Expansion Boosts Capacity
The continued growth of venues like Dubai Exhibition Centre and Jafza One Convention Centre contributed significantly, collectively hosting over 80,000 guests.
This multi-venue strategy enables DWTC to handle a growing number of events while maintaining high service standards.
Off-Site Catering Shows Steady Growth
Off-site operations grew by 12%, serving more than 160,000 guests across 1,211 events.
DWTC Hospitality supported major events including the Dubai International Boat Show, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai World Cup, MEBAA Show, and events at Ain Dubai.
Looking ahead, DWTC Hospitality aims to further elevate event hospitality standards by investing in culinary innovation, sustainability, and long-term partnerships.
With Dubai’s events industry becoming increasingly competitive, the division is focused on playing a central role in shaping the next phase of growth, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a global hub for business and world-class events.
