20 January 2026 – Informa, the leading international B2B Live Events, Digital Services and Academic Markets Group, and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the region's leading business enabler and global events powerhouse, have signed a partnership agreement to create a new business, inD.

First announced in March 2025, this new partnership business combines Informa’s international scale and expertise with DWTC’s leadership in global B2B event IPs, to accelerate growth across the UAE and internationally, further enhancing the IMEA region’s position as a leading global hub for B2B Live Events and innovation.

inD brings together a portfolio of more than 40 major B2B brands serving a range of high growth market categories, including Healthcare (WHX), Energy (Middle East Energy), Aviation (Dubai Airshow), Food & Beverage (Gulfood), Information & Communications Technology (GITEX Global) and Information Security (GISEC).

These brands are expected to deliver revenues of more than US$650 million in 2026, with a strong pipeline of forward growth as demand for high impact, B2B live experiences continues to rise.

B2B Live Events play a vital role in convening industries, thought leaders and decision makers to foster innovation and stimulate growth and investment. They enable companies to access new markets, showcase products and services and build lasting partnerships.

The formation of inD comes at a pivotal moment, as Dubai significantly increases its world-class venue capacity, with the expansion at Dubai Exhibition Centre delivering140,000sqm of event capacity in 2026, further cementing its position as one of the most dynamic and innovative markets for B2B Live Events.

The first major inD Brand to run in 2026 will be Gulfood (26-30 January), which will be hosted at significantly increased scale across DWTC’s two flagship venues, the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre, welcoming more than 8,500 exhibitors and showcasing 1.5 million products from 195 countries.

This will be closely followed by WHX Dubai (9-12 February) and WHX Labs Dubai (10-13 February), which will run concurrently across both major venues for the first time, with more than 4,800 exhibitors and 270,000+ Healthcare professionals expected from more than 180 countries.

Stephen A. Carter, CEO, Informa Group, says:
“The creation of inD deepens our partnership with DWTC at a time of structural growth for our industry, strong economic growth across the region, and dynamic market growth in the UAE in particular, as the supply of high quality venue space increases to meet growing demand for B2B Live Events.”

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, says:
“Dubai has long been the world’s leading destination for global business events. This partnership now elevates that position further by transforming Dubai into an IP and knowledge hub that not only accelerates international growth opportunities for DWTC’s flagship brands but also strengthens Dubai’s long-term GDP impact, further cementing its role as a leading global player in B2B events. Together with Informa, we are building a platform for sustained growth, innovation and global reach.”

About inD:
inD is a leading B2B Live Events Group in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With a portfolio of more than 40 major B2B brands, inD serves a range of high-growth market categories including Healthcare, Energy, Aviation, Food, Technology, Information Security, HR and Education. Headquartered in Dubai, with more than 1,000 Colleagues across the region, inD is a partnership between the Informa Group PLC, the world’s leading B2B Live Events Group, and DWTC, the region's leading business enabler and global events powerhouse. As a subsidiary of Informa PLC, a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange, inD combines international scale and expertise with leadership in large-scale B2B event intellectual property to deliver world-class events that spark innovation, stimulate trade and drive economic growth.