MEP milestone lifts Dubai events capacity

Al-Futtaim Engineering has completed a major mechanical, electrical and plumbing package at Dubai Exhibition Centre, strengthening the venue’s readiness for larger global exhibitions at Expo City Dubai.

The company, part of Al-Futtaim Contracting, delivered the MEP scope for the Dubai Exhibition Centre within a nine-month programme, taking the project from site access to final commissioning and operational readiness. The development has secured Building Completion Certificate status, enabling the expanded venue to support high-volume international events, including Gulfood and World Health Expo, formerly Arab Health.

The project marks one of Al-Futtaim Engineering’s largest MEP assignments by scale and delivery timeline. More than 200 engineering and management staff and 2,000 skilled workers were mobilised at peak construction, with more than four million man-hours completed safely during an accelerated schedule.

The technical scope reflects the infrastructure demands of a venue built for dense visitor flows, heavy exhibitor logistics and simultaneous large-format events. Al-Futtaim Engineering installed about 90 kilometres of low-voltage cabling, 11 kilometres of busbar systems, 100,000 square metres of air-conditioning ductwork, 120 kilometres of fibre-optic backbone infrastructure, 110 kilometres of electrical uPVC Class D ducting, 105 kilometres of plumbing and chilled-water pipework, and 18,080 lighting fixtures.

The work required high-level and low-level MEP installation to be carried out in parallel, including activity on suspended access platforms with restricted load capacities. The delivery model relied on detailed sequencing, controlled lifting plans, co-ordinated material movement and close safety supervision, allowing multiple systems to be installed and tested without disrupting the overall construction programme.

Murali S., Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Contracting, said delivering the MEP scope in less than nine months reflected “leadership, structured planning, technical depth, and disciplined execution”. He said projects of this scale required “engineering clarity, precise coordination, and a delivery framework capable of managing complexity without compromise”.

Advanced Building Information Modelling was used as a primary installation reference across electrical, HVAC, plumbing, extra-low-voltage, and fire and life safety systems. The approach helped reduce clashes, limit rework and support commissioning, an increasingly important factor as contractors face shorter delivery windows, tighter sustainability targets and higher expectations for digital co-ordination.

The completion is tied to Dubai World Trade Centre’s AED10 billion expansion of Dubai Exhibition Centre, a phased programme intended to make the venue one of the region’s largest indoor events platforms. Phase 1 brings the centre to 140,000 square metres of event space, including 64,000 square metres of additional permanent exhibition area and 30,000 square metres of adaptable temporary venues, with capacity for 50,000 visitors a day.

The expanded venue is already central to Dubai’s strategy of moving its largest trade shows into bigger, more flexible formats. Gulfood 2026 spans Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, with more than 8,500 exhibitors, participants from 195 countries and more than 1.5 million products across the food and beverage supply chain. World Health Expo Dubai and WHX Labs Dubai are being staged across Dubai Exhibition Centre and Dubai World Trade Centre, bringing together more than 270,000 healthcare professionals and 4,800 exhibitors from over 180 countries.

For Dubai, the MEP milestone is more than a construction achievement. Exhibition infrastructure is a core part of the city’s trade, logistics, tourism and services economy, and venue reliability has become a competitive factor as global organisers look for destinations able to host larger events without compromising safety, energy performance or visitor experience.

Dubai World Trade Centre hosted 401 events in 2025 and welcomed nearly three million participants, reinforcing the commercial case for expanded event capacity. Its 2024 large-scale events generated AED22.35 billion in economic output, showing how exhibitions feed demand across hotels, aviation, transport, retail, food services and professional networks.