Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has announced a record-breaking year for its Hospitality business in 2023, catering to over 1 million guests across 2,846 events. This remarkable achievement reflects a 48% increase Y-o-Y in guests catered to and a 23% rise Y-o-Y in events catered for, underscoring DWTC’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences and solidifying its position as a premier catering service provider in the region.

Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “2023 was a year of outstanding achievements for DWTC’s Hospitality business. This milestone not only reaffirms our pivotal role in shaping Dubai’s vibrant events landscape but also spotlights the driving force behind our culinary operations – our hospitality team. Renowned for their expertise in providing catering solutions across events of all scales, from on-site and off-site large-scale events including exhibitions, conferences to weddings, gala dinners, banquets, concerts and more, our award-winning team’s capabilities are unmatched. We remain committed to setting new standards and pushing boundaries, embracing the true essence of hospitality to elevate every occasion and further enhance Dubai’s global reputation as a premier destination for events and hospitality.”

Featuring a state-of-the-art kitchen facility, spanning 3,650 square metres, delivering fresh, high-quality cuisine entirely in-house, DWTC’s Hospitality division catered to more than 920,000 guests at events across its venues, resulting in a 48% increase in 2023. These events included mega exhibitions, international association conventions and industry conferences to high profile weddings, corporate and private events.

Continuing to build on its strong portfolio of high-profile external events, DWTC’s Hospitality division catered to more than 106,000 guests at external events (events not held within DWTC’s own venues) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 45%. The number of external events catered to also grew significantly, up to 1,382 in 2023, representing an annual increase of 44%.

Some of the notable events in 2023 included, Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai Airshow, COP28, GITEX Global, Gulfood, Arab Health, Arabian Travel Market among others.

As specialists in grand-scale and bespoke weddings, the DWTC Hospitality team catered to an impressive 72,520 wedding guests in 2023, a 143% increase, up from 29,880 guests in 2022, reaffirming its status as the premier caterer for wedding celebrations in Dubai.