The annual gala, organised by Dubai Business Events, the city’s official convention bureau under the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, took place at The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai. The ceremony recognised ambassadors whose work supported bids for conferences, congresses, meetings and homegrown events across healthcare, technology, academia, engineering, business and government.
Honourees were recognised across four categories: Dubai Association Centre, Homegrown Events, Regional Events and International Events. The awards reflected the growing role of sector specialists, professional associations, academic leaders and government-linked experts in bringing global decision-makers to Dubai, while also nurturing events created within the emirate.
Al Safeer Ambassadors have become an important part of Dubai’s business-events machinery because they connect international professional networks with the city’s convention infrastructure. Their work extends beyond bid support. It involves identifying viable events, helping organisers understand Dubai’s sector strengths, mobilising institutional support and positioning the emirate as a meeting point for specialised communities.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said the ambassadors’ expertise, networks and commitment were helping bring events that support knowledge exchange, sector development and long-term economic growth. He described the programme as an important pillar of Dubai’s business-events ecosystem and linked its work to the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33, which seeks to place Dubai among the world’s leading urban economies.
The 2025 performance of Dubai Business Events underlined why the ambassador programme is being given greater visibility. The bureau submitted 747 bids during the year and secured 504 wins for events scheduled through 2029, a 15 per cent increase in bid wins compared with 2024. These confirmed events are expected to attract 272,262 delegates, a 29 per cent rise in delegate numbers year on year. Dubai also hosted 481 business events during 2025, compared with 429 a year earlier.
The figures point to a broader shift in Dubai’s events strategy. Large-scale exhibitions and trade shows remain important, but the city is placing added emphasis on specialist congresses that bring professionals, researchers, companies and regulators together around sectors such as medicine, finance, engineering, energy and technology. These events generate hotel stays and aviation traffic, but their wider value lies in relationships, policy discussions, investment leads and technical collaboration.
Several major wins secured for the coming years show the range of Dubai’s pitch. Events in the pipeline include the World Engineers Congress 2027, Apimondia 2027, the SICOT World Congress 2027 and the World Ophthalmology Congress 2028. The financial-services calendar will receive a major boost from SIBOS in 2029, which is expected to bring thousands of banking, payments and technology executives to the city.
The Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme was launched in 2010 and has grown to include more than 350 members. Its premise is straightforward: Dubai-based experts can be more persuasive advocates than conventional destination marketing alone, especially when bidding for association congresses where technical credibility and professional trust matter.
The programme also works alongside the Dubai Association Centre, which supports the development of associations and professional bodies operating from the emirate. The addition of a dedicated award category for Dubai Association Centre members reflects the city’s effort to deepen its institutional base, not just host events after they are won.
Dubai’s strengths in aviation, hospitality and venue capacity have helped its bid competitiveness. The city’s global air links, large hotel inventory, exhibition venues and government-backed tourism infrastructure allow organisers to stage events with significant international attendance. At the same time, competition among global convention destinations remains intense, with cities across Europe, Asia and the Gulf investing heavily in business-events pipelines.
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