UAE Exhibitions Calendar 2026–2027: Dates for Exhibitors

From November to June, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah host a large trade show or business conference almost every week. For an exhibitor, each one is a stand, a team on site and a few days when buyers, partners and press are in the same halls. It is also the best footage of the year, if someone is there to film it.

Below are the main UAE exhibitions and business events from November 2026 to October 2027, then when to book a video crew, what the new Dubai Exhibition Centre changes and what filming costs.

UAE exhibitions calendar, November 2026 – October 2027

DWTC: Dubai World Trade Centre. DEC: Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai. Dates checked with organisers' websites and official announcements in October 2026.

When to book a video crew

Book the crew 8–12 weeks before the show. By then the stand design and launch plans are fixed, and good crews still have free days. For this season:

• November shows (ADIPEC, Big 5 Global, the boat shows): book in August or September.
• December (Abu Dhabi Finance Week, GITEX Global): September or October.
• January (ADSW, Intersec, WHX Dubai): October or November, before the holidays.
• Gulfood: late December or January.
• May and June (Arabian Travel Market, CABSAT, GISEC, Middle East Energy, INDEX): February or March.
• Autumn 2027 (Beautyworld Dubai, Dubai Airshow): late July to September.

Ramadan is expected in February and early March 2027, with few exhibitions, so the season splits into two blocks: November to early February, then mid-March to June.

The new Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City

Many big Dubai shows now take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) in Expo City Dubai, on the former Expo 2020 site. Dubai World Trade Centre runs both venues and has expanded DEC with large new halls, open for events since 2026; WHX Dubai and Gulfood use both venues at once. For video, this means:

• Travel time. DEC is far from DWTC. A crew that moves between them in one day loses time on the road, so plan one venue per crew per day. DEC has its own metro station on the Red Line (Expo 2020).
• New routines. Loading, build-up times and contractor badges are set for each show. Read the exhibitor manual instead of assuming last year's routine.
• Two-venue shows. Book a second crew if you need both venues on the same day.

Both venues are in Dubai, so we charge no travel fee for either.

How to plan video across several shows

Many companies exhibit at several shows in one season, such as GITEX Global and GISEC, or ADIPEC, ADSW and Middle East Energy. Plan them together:

• One style. The same graphics, music, interview set-up and colour, so every show film belongs to one campaign.
• One shot list, adapted per show: stand before opening, demos, interviews, visitors, vertical clips.
• The same crew, who already know your stand and your people.
• Content between shows. Interviews and product close-ups from one show feed your channels until the next.
• Book the season at once, so the crew can hold your dates in the busy weeks.

What it costs

Our event filming rates apply to every show in this calendar:

• Videographer: from AED 600 per hour when you book 4 hours or more; shorter bookings cost more per hour, and the minimum booking is 2 hours.
• Sound recordist with all the equipment, for interviews and vox pops: AED 2,500 per day.
• Editor on site for same-day clips: AED 3,500 per day (up to 8 hours).
• Production coordinator for crews of three or more videographers: AED 3,500 per day.
• Travel: no extra charge in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman; from Dubai to ADNEC or ADGM in Abu Dhabi, about AED 500 per car, and one car takes up to two people of the crew.
• Editing is quoted separately, by the number and complexity of the videos.

These prices are approximate and exclude 5% VAT. Try the event price calculator, read how much an event videographer costs in Dubai, and confirm the exact figure with our producer on WhatsApp. For Abu Dhabi shows, see our Abu Dhabi event videographer page.

Check the dates before you book

Exhibition dates and venues in the UAE do change: in 2026 several shows moved to new dates or to Expo City. Before you book flights, a stand builder or a crew, confirm the dates with the organiser. We update this page when organisers announce changes.

Why Fat Cat Media

We are a Dubai production company with our own crew, filming events since 2012: GITEX Global, Expo 2020 Dubai, five Globe Soccer Awards ceremonies in a row, and the World Future Energy Summit and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at ADNEC. The event names linked in the table lead to our guides for those shows. See our exhibition videography page, read how we film GITEX and other trade shows, or send us your list of shows on WhatsApp.