Technology events in the UAE: how to choose the right one in 2026–27

The UAE's technology calendar runs from October to May, split between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. October 2026 is the densest month for AI events. December is GITEX week in Dubai. The season closes with cybersecurity in May 2027.

Dubai hosts the large expos at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai. Abu Dhabi hosts AI events at ADNEC Centre and Space42 Arena, plus one-day hotel summits.

Dates are the 2026–27 editions as listed; confirm them on the organizer's site before you book. The always-current list is on atndr's page for technology events in the UAE. For a ranked shortlist across the whole Gulf, see the top technology events in the Gulf.

Pick by who you need to meet. The UAE has one broad flagship, GITEX Global, and a ring of specialist events that each serve one audience.

Enterprise buyers: GITEX Global

GITEX Global 2026 changes shape in 2026. It moves to December and to Expo City Dubai. The GITEX Summit, a one-day leaders' programme, opens the week on 7 December at DWTC. The expo follows on 8–11 December at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.

AI: four events in six weeks

Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026 runs 6–7 October at ADNEC Centre. It pairs an AI expo with the Abu Dhabi AI Summit and themed forums. Dubai AI Festival 2026 runs 26–27 October at DWTC, and is built around deal-making between AI companies, enterprises and investors. Global AI Show Abu Dhabi 2026 follows on 18–19 November at Space42 Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Arabian AI & Agentic Summit 2026 is a one-day summit on 26 October at ADNEC, focused on conversational and agentic AI in production.

Founders and investors

Expand North Star 2026 is GITEX's startup and investor event, running 8–10 December alongside the main show. Its 2025 edition reported 2,050 exhibiting startups and more than 1,300 investors. Step Dubai 2027 is smaller: a two-day festival at Dubai Internet City on 3–4 February 2027, built around pre-matched founder–investor meetings.

Security, finance and health

GISEC Global 2027 runs 4–6 May 2027 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre. Dubai FinTech Summit 2026 (2–3 November, Madinat Jumeirah) is DIFC's summit for bank CEOs, regulators and fintech founders. WHX Tech 2027 (26–28 January 2027, DWTC) is the digital health event within World Healthcare Week.

Choose the format by what you want to leave with. UAE technology events come in four formats.

• Large expo with free conferences. GITEX Global 2026, Ai Everything Abu Dhabi 2026 and GISEC Global 2027 are show floors first, with conference stages alongside. Best for comparing suppliers and generating leads.
• Paid conference with an exhibition. Dubai AI Festival 2026, Global AI Show Abu Dhabi 2026 and Dubai FinTech Summit 2026 centre on the speaker programme and networking. The expensive tiers add attendee lists and pre-booked one-to-one meetings.
• Vendor-run event. Agentforce World Tour Dubai 2026 is Salesforce's free one-day event at the Dubai Exhibition Centre on 14 October 2026. Useful if you use or are evaluating Salesforce; expect product demos, not a neutral market view.
• Invitation-only or hotel summit. Digital Transformation Summit UAE 2026 admits senior technology leaders by invitation, and CYSEC UAE 2026 and 4th Government CX Summit 2026 are one-day events in Abu Dhabi hotels. The rooms are small and senior.

A one-day summit where every attendee buys what you sell can beat four days at a flagship. For a longer explanation of the formats, see conference, exhibition, summit or workshop.

Entry ranges from free to several thousand dollars. Show floors are cheap; the price rises with conference access and arranged meetings. These are the prices on the official ticket pages on 30 September 2026. Prices rise in phases, so check before you buy.

UAE prices include 5% VAT where the page says so. The GITEX Visitor Pass covers the exhibitions at Expo City Dubai for GITEX Global, Expand North Star and LivX from 8 to 11 December, plus the free conferences. It excludes the Summit at DWTC, certified trainings and workshops; its early-bird price of AED 465 ended on 29 September 2026. The WHX Tech tickets also include WHX Dubai on 25–28 January 2027.

Budget for hotels too, and check refund terms before you pay.

Treat 1–11 December 2026 as one trip. Four technology events on atndr fall inside those eleven days, across three Dubai venues.

1. 1–2 December: Blockchain Life 2026 at Festival Arena, Dubai Festival City, for crypto and Web3. Every ticket also covers the co-located AI Future Forum.
2. 7 December: the GITEX Summit at DWTC, for ministers, investors and C-suite leaders.
3. 8–11 December: the GITEX Global 2026 expo at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Dubai.
4. 8–10 December: Expand North Star 2026 and GITEX Future Digital Assets Forum (FDX) 2026 run inside the same week at Expo City.

Expo City Dubai and DWTC are separate venues, so book a hotel near the one you will use most. Register before you travel: matchmaking apps and investor programmes open weeks ahead.

Start from the result you need, then check the evidence. Work through these checks in order:

1. Your goal. Buying: a large expo with a published exhibitor list. Selling: an event whose attendee profile matches your buyers. Learning: a conference with a published agenda. Raising money: an investor programme with an application process.
2. The audience. Job roles and industries matter more than headline attendance.
3. What the pass includes. Check whether it covers the conference stages, the summit day or only the show floor.
4. The city. Dubai has the large expos; Abu Dhabi has most of the AI summits. On 26 October, Dubai AI Festival 2026 (Dubai) and The Arabian AI & Agentic Summit 2026 (Abu Dhabi) clash.
5. The track record. A recurring event should show a previous agenda, speaker list or exhibitor list.

For a fuller checklist, read how to choose a technology conference. If you are also weighing Saudi Arabia, the technology events in Saudi Arabia guide covers LEAP and Black Hat MEA.