Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has inaugurated 18 meeting rooms in time for Arab Health, the world's second largest healthcare exhibition, which takes place at the end of this month. The space, previously occupied by DWTC tenants, provides an additional 1,500sqm of meeting space, highlighting DWTC’s readiness to respond to market demand and playing a crucial role in supporting the growth of the region's business events and exhibitions sector, in particular small and medium sized conferences and meetings.

Located on concourse 1 above Halls 1-4, the expansion has nearly doubled the number of meeting rooms from 19 to 37, totalling over 3,500sqm of space. This allows DWTC the scope to increase the number of small and medium sized conferences, and additional space to accommodate over 2,700 delegates attending the various trade shows at the venue. All meeting rooms are designed to the highest specifications and will also be ideal to cater to exhibitors needs including media centres, VIP or buyers lounges, seminars, conference break-out areas, off-site meetings and training spaces for corporates. As an added convenience, the meeting rooms are located near the valet parking drop off near Hall 1, allowing for ease of access to and from meetings.

The expansion has set the pace for what is anticipated to be a busy year for DWTC. The high-profile shows hosted at the venue are expected to provide beneficial results for exhibitors by attracting quality visitors and delivering increased return on investment. Beginning January 29, Arab Health will bring in an estimated 70,000 attendees. Of these, thousands of delegates are expected to utilize the new meeting rooms for industry seminars and business networking events. Due to the continued growth of Arab Health, a temporary hall totaling 4,150sqm has also been constructed outside Trade Centre Plaza, adjacent to the metro station, which will accommodate an additional 200 exhibitors.

“Our core focus remains on supporting the needs of the industry by providing robust infrastructure with a seamless visitor experience,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre. “At DWTC, we have seen a positive uptake in the MICE industry, with trade shows growing in both, size and scope. As we continue to provide a platform for our exhibitors and visitors to conduct business, forge partnerships and explore investment opportunities, the new meeting rooms are a significant step towards showing our commitment to our partners and contributing towards raising Dubai’s profile as a global business destination, fostering a positive outlook for the region as a whole.”

The expansion has been positively received by event organisers, allowing them to accommodate the increasing number of attendees at their shows. Simon Page, Managing Director, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions commented: “With 3500 exhibiting companies and more than 70,000 visitors, Arab Health is foremost a networking platform for the global healthcare industry. DWTC provides the optimum environment for our clients who are looking to expand their business through networking opportunities. Continuous upgrades and expansion within the venue ensures that we are able to efficiently cater to all our exhibitor requirements. More and more, we are seeing our exhibitors utilize the private meeting facilities available at DWTC and the addition of these rooms in time for this year’s show will no doubt be well received by our clients.”