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- Awards recognised 47+ Ambassadors for their role in strengthening Dubai’s position as a global hub for business events and knowledge exchange.
- Honourees were recognised across four categories: Dubai Association Centre, Homegrown Events, Regional Events and International Events.
Dubai, UAE – The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) has honoured the outstanding contributions of 47+ members of the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme at its annual gala ceremony, recognising their role in attracting international and regional conferences, congresses and meetings to Dubai, as well as supporting the development of homegrown events in the city. Representing member organisations from a wide range of industries and sectors, the ambassadors were celebrated across four award categories for their contribution to strengthening Dubai’s position as a global hub for business events, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
Organised by Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and part of DET, the gala took place at The Lana, Dorchester Collection, Dubai, bringing together Al Safeer Congress Ambassadors, key stakeholders and industry professionals for an evening recognising their contributions and highlighting the programme’s role in driving Dubai’s economic diversification and knowledge-driven growth, in line with the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.
The evening’s programme also included entertainment performances by stand-up comedian Mina Liccione and musical artist Abdulla Al Shamsi, also known as NotSoHuman, alongside opportunities for ambassadors to network and create new collaboration opportunities.
This year’s awards celebrated excellence across Homegrown Events, Regional Events, and International Events categories, as well as the Dubai Association Centre category for ambassadors who are also members of the city’s association hub. The 47+ awardees reflected the programme’s wide-ranging expertise and strong cross-sector representation across healthcare, technology, academia, engineering, business and government. The honourees also exemplified the programme’s continued role in enhancing Dubai’s global standing and supporting the development of impactful events beneficial to the city.
Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, part of DET said: “We are proud to recognise the achievements of our Al Safeer Congress Ambassadors, whose continued efforts play a key role in strengthening Dubai’s position as a leading destination for business events. Through their expertise, networks, and commitment, they help bring to the city events that support knowledge exchange, sector development, and long-term economic growth. The Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme remains an important pillar of Dubai’s business events ecosystem. By working closely with professionals and institutions across a wide range of sectors, the programme continues to support the attraction and development of events that highlight the depth of expertise within the city and contribute to the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33.”
Since its launch in 2010, the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme has grown to include more than 350 members and has played a significant role in helping secure numerous high-profile events for Dubai. In 2025, Dubai Business Events submitted 747 bids and secured 504 successful wins for events scheduled through 2029, representing a 15% increase in bid wins compared to 2024. These confirmed events are expected to attract 272,262 delegates, marking a 29% year-on-year increase in delegate numbers. Dubai also hosted 481 business events throughout the year.
As Dubai continues to strengthen its position within the global MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry, the Al Safeer Congress Ambassador Programme remains an important driver of that progress, advancing collaboration, innovation, and excellence across the business events landscape.
Visit www.dubaibusinessevents.com to find out more about hosting business events in Dubai.
| Dubai Association Centre Events | ||
| ICC UAE International Trade & Finance Conference | International Chamber of Commerce UAE Chapter - ICC UAE | |
| MEGA Conference | Middle East Gases Association - MEGA | |
| ASHRAE UAE First Technical Conference & ASHRAE RAL Conference | American Society Of Heating Refrigeration And Air-Conditioning Engineers - ASHRAE Falcon Chapter | |
| CAI MIDDLE EAST CONFERENCE | Community Associations Institute - CAI | |
| 12th MEFMA CONFEX | Middle East Facilities Management Association - MEFMA | |
| EO Singularity Conference | Entrepreneurs Organization UAE | |
| New Homegrown Events | ||
| Women in Engineering Leadership Summit | University of Dubai | |
| Breast Imaging 1st Annual Meeting | Emirates Breast Imaging Club (EBIC) | |
| 1st Emirates pharmacy society conference | Emirates Pharmacy Society | |
| 1st Annual Emirates Orthodontic Society Congress | Emirates Orthodontic Society | |
| Decoding Pain: 1st Middle East Interdisciplinary Conference & Exhibition | Doctors of Indian Origin Plus (DIOR Plus) | |
| Emirates Pediatric Pulmonary Conference | Emirates Thoracic Society | |
| MEA MedTech Regulatory Summit | Mecomed | |
| Science Journalism Forum | SciCommX | |
| Sustainable Destinations Forum | Expo City Dubai | |
| Regional Events | ||
| AIB MENA Conference | University of Wollongong in Dubai | |
| International Arab Actuarial Conference | Emirates Insurance Association | |
| EMEA CHRIE Conference | Dubai College of Tourism | |
| International Events | ||
| Global Information Infrastructure and Networking Symposium | American University in Dubai | |
| International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems | ||
| 18th Pearls in Policing Conference | Dubai Police | |
| 20th Asia/Oceania Intergovernmental Ministerial Meeting on Anti-Doping in Sports | UAE National Anti-Doping Agency | |
| Business Intelligence for Technology Innovation | Horizon University College | |
| 8th International Conference on Signal Processing & Information Security - ICSPIS | IEEE - UAE Section | |
| 44th IEEE International Conference on Consumer Electronics | ||
| IEEE International System-on-Chip Conference -SOCC | IEEE - UAE Section | |
| Zayed University | ||
| International Association for Court Administration International Conference | Dubai International Financial Centre Courts | |
| Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association Conference | Middlesex University Dubai | |
| 1st World Congress on Eustachian Tube Research and Interventions | International Working Group on Eustachian Tube | |
| World Summit WFICC | International Pan-Arab Critical Care Medicine Society (IPACCMS) | |
| ENAI Summer School | University of Wollongong in Dubai | |
| 10th International Conference on Information System Design & Intelligent Applications 2026 | ||
| IPMA Research Conference | The British University In Dubai | |
| IEEE International Conference on Smart Mobility | IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS) | |
| International Symposium on Electronic Art | Dubai Culture and Arts Authority | |
| Zayed University | ||
| World Engineers Convention and General Assembly Meeting | Society of Engineers | |
| SICOT Orthopaedic World Congress | The Emirates Orthopaedic Society | |
| International Apicultural Congress – APIMONDIA – | UAE Beekeepers Foundation | |
| Asia Pacific Conference on Giftedness | Hamdan Bin Rashid Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences | |
| International MPS Symposium | UAE Rare Disease Society | |
| World Congress of Intensive & Critical Care | Emirates Intensive Care Society | |
| Annual SWIFT Conference and Exhibition | UAE Banks Federation | |
| Rotary International Convention | Rotary Club UAE | |
About Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment
Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), is responsible for developing Dubai’s retail, gastronomy, family entertainment and event sectors and supporting the positioning of Dubai as a world-class tourism destination and the best place to live, work and visit.
About Dubai Business Events
Dubai Business Events (DBE) – the Official Convention Bureau, aims to further develop and increase Dubai's share of the international business events market in order to grow economic development, jobs and knowledge creation in the emirate. DBE’s main goal, as a division of DET, is to establish the Emirate as a premier business event destination by helping organizers of international meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions plan and manage every aspect of their event. As a member of Best Cities Global Alliance DBE aim to deliver the world's best service experience for the meeting industry.
For further information, please contact:
mediarelations@dubaidet.ae
Iman Dawod – dbepr@bpggroup.com
