Dubai hosts one of the world’s most important healthcare trade shows each January. It brings device makers, hospital buyers, distributors, and innovators together. Deals are signed. Partnerships begin. New tech gets real-world feedback fast.
This guide helps you plan well. You will learn what to expect, how to book meetings, and how to prove ROI. You will see 2025 trends that shape buying in the region. You will also get links to official sources, regulators, and research bodies for evidence.
This show is large and global. It spans many halls at the Dubai World Trade Centre. You can compare entire product categories in one trip. That saves months of travel and cuts your cost per lead or supplier check.
Organizers report that recent editions hosted 3,000+ exhibitors and 100,000+ professional visits from 150+ countries. You will meet hospital leaders, procurement teams, and national distributors. You will also meet regulators, start-ups, and press. The scale rewards clear goals and a tight plan.
Expect strong focus on AI in imaging, workflow, and documentation. The EU AI Act begins staged application in 2024–2026, so vendors will show transparency, data quality, and post-market monitoring. Buyers will ask how your AI meets safety, bias, and cybersecurity rules. Bring proof and plain-language summaries.
Diagnostics will stress speed and traceability. The EU IVDR transition, extended by Regulation (EU) 2023/607, tightens evidence and labeling. Point-of-care devices highlight accuracy and total cost per test. Sustainability is a cross-theme: lower energy use, reusable components, and greener packaging will be visible on booth walls and in brochures.
The show’s value comes from density. In a few days, you can meet dozens of qualified partners. You can test devices, see software live, and compare total cost of ownership. You can also meet component suppliers and contract manufacturers that enable faster scale-up.
Official Arab Health channels report tens of thousands of visitors and thousands of exhibitors each year. Co-located conferences add CME credits and bring clinical leaders to the floor. Use the official exhibitor list and floor plan to build a route by hall. That is the best way to turn scale into results.
The event runs at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The 2026 dates, ticket options, and conference agenda are posted on the official site. Check “Visit,” “Travel,” and “Conferences” pages for the most current details. Organizers update these resources through the year.
Register early to secure visa letters if needed. Early booking improves hotel rates near the venue. It also helps you lock meeting times before agendas fill. Subscribe to official updates so you do not miss program releases or deadline changes.
Your badge type controls access to exhibition halls and paid conferences. Read the entitlements before you buy. Many visitors use a free trade pass for the floor and add a paid pass for clinical tracks. Check refund and transfer terms for team flexibility.
Download the official app once it goes live. Use it to search exhibitors by product group and hall. Star target booths and request meetings. The app usually supports badge scanning, map navigation, and agenda planning. It is the fastest way to manage a full day on site.
DWTC sits between the airport and downtown. It connects to the Dubai Metro (red line) and major roads. Taxis and ride-hailing are reliable, with clear pick-up points. Morning arrivals between 9:00–10:00 can be busy, so leave buffer time for security and queues.
Book hotels near DWTC, World Trade Centre Metro, or along Sheikh Zayed Road to cut commute time. If you need quieter spaces for meetings, consider hotels in DIFC or City Walk. Ask your hotel about shuttle services. Confirm Wi-Fi speed and meeting room options before you arrive.
Define two to three goals before you design your booth. Examples: book 40 qualified buyer meetings; secure five distributor leads per priority country; or close three pilot agreements. Align demos, staffing, and messaging with those goals. Keep your story short and clear.
Bring proof. Use simple claims tied to named studies or public data. Show one metric at eye height: minutes saved per case, error reduction, cost per test, or infection rate change. Practice a two-minute walk-through and a ten-minute deep dive. Tag every scan in your CRM with use case and region.
Noise and crowds demand fast communication. Lead with the outcome you deliver, not features. Add one number as evidence. Keep visuals clean and readable from five meters. Place screens at standing eye level and avoid long looping videos with small text.
Make demos hands-on. Give visitors a simple task with a clear win in under three minutes. Provide a quiet corner with seating for serious talks. Stock printed one-pagers with QR codes that open data sheets, IFUs, or peer-reviewed studies. Train staff to hand off smoothly from greeter to expert.
European buyers will ask about MDR or IVDR status, UDI, and post-market surveillance. Bring a concise clinical evidence summary and your vigilance process. If you sell AI, be ready to explain data sets, subgroup performance, and drift management in language a clinician can trust.
U.S. conversations now include the FDA’s 2024 Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR), which aligns with ISO 13485 by 2026, and the FDA’s cybersecurity guidance. Gulf buyers may ask about SFDA and UAE compliance, including UDI and data residency. Keep links and QR codes to official certificates or public summaries where allowed.
The show includes on-floor forums and paid conferences. Clinical tracks offer CME credits and attract KOLs. Business tracks cover digital health, supply chains, and investment. These sessions help you test messages and hear buyer pain points in plain terms.
Attend finals of start-up or innovation awards. Investors and corporate venture teams watch these closely. Note which hospital systems appear with vendors on stage. That often signals validated pilots. Use Q&A time to ask real-world questions about workflow, costs, and outcomes.
Start outreach four to six weeks before the show. Use the exhibitor list, LinkedIn, and partner networks. Offer two short time windows per day and a clear agenda. Share a one-pager with proof points. Busy buyers say yes when the value is obvious and the ask is small.
On site, keep meetings tight. Open with the visitor’s goal. Run the demo to that goal. Agree next steps, owners, and dates. Log notes in your CRM at once. Send a recap within 24–48 hours with the promised links. Speed shows reliability and wins follow-ups.
Build a short press kit with a clear headline, three bullets of news, and one data point. Add quotes from a clinician and a buyer. Host materials on a simple landing page with high-res images and fact sheets. Print a QR code for your booth wall and badges.
Pitch trade journalists two weeks before the show. Offer a short briefing at your booth or a demo slot. Be ready with embargoed assets if you have regulatory news. Track pickup and add a “Featured in” strip to your booth screen and website once stories publish.
Policies and market signals from 2025 shape buyer questions in 2026. The EU AI Act sets expectations for risk management, transparency, and post-market monitoring for high-risk AI. Vendors will mirror these in marketing and documentation. Expect more talk about data lineage and bias controls.
FDA’s QMSR final rule (2024) starts a global shift in quality language. By 2026, many firms will align systems with ISO 13485. Buyers will ask how your QMS and cybersecurity meet FDA expectations. Post-market data, SBOMs, and coordinated vulnerability handling will be standard topics.
GCC governments continue to invest in health capacity and digital infrastructure. Public buyers favor equipment that cuts energy costs, speeds throughput, and improves staff safety. Private hospital groups push for devices with faster payback periods and strong service SLAs.
Reimbursement and payer contracts reward diagnostics and therapies that reduce admissions or shorten length of stay. Vendors that show real-world outcomes and cost impact gain an edge. Prepare one slide with a simple economic model. Keep inputs and sources transparent.
Clinical AI is growing, but scrutiny is rising. Expect requests for external validation, human factors testing, and subgroup analysis. Show how your model handles drift and updates. Explain monitoring in plain words and avoid hype. Tie features to workflow, not just accuracy.
Privacy and security matter. Buyers ask where data is stored and how consent works. They ask about encryption, access controls, and incident response. Use clear diagrams and short policies. Link to official guidance from regulators so teams can verify claims quickly.
Mid-sized firms win by being specific. Narrow your message to one or two use cases per region. Target three to five countries and define the ideal distributor profile. Bring localized IFUs and a draft regulatory plan. This shows respect for buyer time and speeds trust.
Staff your booth with a greeter, a demo lead, and a closer. Script the handoff. Use a simple intake form to tag role, region, and use case. Build two demo tiers: a two-minute “wow” and a ten-minute proof session. Offer a clear next step: pilot, quote, or reference call.