GITEX Global 2026
Dubai, 7 to 11 December. Summit at DWTC, expo at Expo City
A reference page. GITEX runs this event, not Aspire. We publish it because our community attends, and we keep it updated. Official site
- Dates
- 7 to 11 December 2026
- Venue
- Dubai World Trade Centre and Expo City Dubai
- City
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Run by
- GITEX
GITEX by the numbers
Every figure links to where it came from. Attendance for an event that has not happened is a projection, and each row says so rather than presenting it as a count.
- Dates7 to 11 Dec
Official 2026 dates. 7 December is the Scale Summit at DWTC. 8 to 11 December is the expo at Expo City Dubai. gitex.com
- Exhibitors, 20256,800
Official 2025 close recap: 6,800 enterprises, 2,000 startups, 1,200 investors, 180 countries. Not a 2026 count. GITEX 2025 recap
- Startups, 20252,000
Same official 2025 recap. GITEX 2025 recap
- Venue changeExpo City
Gulf News reported the 2026 move to Expo City and the shift from the usual October slot to December. Gulf News
What is GITEX?
GITEX Global is Dubai's large technology trade show. The 2026 edition is 7 to 11 December, which is a calendar change as well as a venue change. The official site splits the week: a Scale Summit on 7 December at Dubai World Trade Centre, then four expo days from 8 to 11 December at Expo City Dubai. Do not navigate to DWTC for the whole week.
Who goes to GITEX?
Governments, operators, enterprise vendors and a large startup layer. The 2025 recap put 6,800 exhibiting companies and 2,000 startups on the floor. That is a trade-show crowd, not a protocol-dev crowd. If you need Ethereum builders, Devcon is the better November week. If you need MENA buyers and a large booth hall, this is the one.
GITEX side events
Search GITEX side event or GITEX Global afterparty and you will find hotel receptions, national-pavilion nights and Dubai Harbour leftovers from previous editions. 2026's expo days are at Expo City, so the geography of those nights will move. There is no single official GITEX side-event calendar comparable to TOKEN2049 Week. Brand invitations and Luma are the list. The summit day on 7 December at DWTC is a different room from the expo. Aspire does not run those nights.
GITEX tickets and costs
Register interest on gitex.com. Official visitor pricing for 2026 was not published there when this page was last checked, and the figures circulating on third-party listings are not the organiser's; exhibitor and booth fees are a separate and much larger conversation. Expo City is not next to DWTC. Budget a car or metro time between the 7 December summit and the rest of the week if you attend both. December in Dubai is the comfortable outdoor month. Hotels near Expo City will be the 2026 constraint, not the old Trade Centre strip.
Getting to Dubai World Trade Centre and Expo City Dubai
Two sites, and they are not close. The 7 December Scale Summit is at Dubai World Trade Centre, on the red line at World Trade Centre metro. The 8 to 11 December expo is at Expo City Dubai, at the far end of the red line at Expo 2020 station, roughly 45 minutes from Downtown by metro and 30 by car outside peak. Do not assume a taxi driver has registered the change.
Where to stay for GITEX
The old GITEX habit of staying near Dubai World Trade Centre only works for the summit day. For the four expo days, Expo City is much closer to Dubai South and Jebel Ali than to Downtown or Marina. Either stay near Expo City and commute in for the summit, or stay central and accept a daily metro run of the best part of an hour.
What to know before booking GITEX
The October-at-DWTC muscle memory is wrong this year. If your driver still heads to World Trade Centre on 8 December you will miss the floor. Confirm which day you are actually attending before you book the hotel. More of this edition than usual is still moving, pricing included, so treat anything you read about GITEX 2026 that is not on gitex.com as provisional, and check your government's travel advice for the region before committing to non-refundable flights.
What runs alongside GITEX
Named events on their own dates, and in several cases their own tickets. Booking the main days only is how people miss them.
- GITEX Scale Summit7 December 2026
The opening summit day, held at Dubai World Trade Centre rather than at Expo City where the rest of the week runs.
GITEX: common questions
When is GITEX Global 2026?
7 to 11 December 2026, which is a change from the October slot GITEX has held for years. The Scale Summit is on 7 December and the expo runs 8 to 11 December. Listings still showing an October date are carrying the old calendar.
Has GITEX moved venue?
Yes. The expo days move to Expo City Dubai for 2026, having run at Dubai World Trade Centre for decades. The 7 December Scale Summit stays at DWTC. Gulf News reported both the venue move and the shift from October to December.
Which days are at which venue?
7 December is the Scale Summit at Dubai World Trade Centre. 8 to 11 December is the expo at Expo City Dubai. They are at opposite ends of the red metro line, so a day that starts at one and ends at the other costs you an hour you did not plan for.
How big is GITEX?
The organiser's recap of the 2025 edition put 6,800 exhibiting companies, 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors on the floor from 180 countries. That is a count after the fact for 2025 rather than a projection for 2026, which is the honest way to read it.
How much does GITEX cost?
Official 2026 visitor pricing had not been published on gitex.com when this entry was last checked, which is late for an edition this close. Third-party listings quote around CNY 1,500, roughly $210, for a full pass, but none of those are the organiser's. Register interest on gitex.com and wait for the real number rather than budgeting against a resold one.
Is GITEX 2026 confirmed?
The dates and the venue move are confirmed by the organiser and by Gulf News. What is not settled is the detail underneath: visitor pricing was unpublished when this page was last checked, later than usual for an edition this close. Regional conditions can affect travel to the Gulf, so check your government's advice before booking anything non-refundable.
Where should I stay for GITEX 2026?
Not where you stayed last time. Expo City sits toward Dubai South and Jebel Ali, a long way from the Trade Centre strip that GITEX regulars book by habit. Stay near Expo City for the four expo days, or stay central and budget close to an hour each way on the red line.
Who is GITEX actually for?
Government and enterprise buyers across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, plus the global vendor ecosystem and a very large startup programme. It is a trade-show crowd rather than a developer crowd. If you want protocol engineers, this is the wrong December week.
Official sources
Conferences worth reading next
- MWCFira Gran Via, 1 to 4 March. GSMA. 4YFN sits next to it1 to 4 March 2027
- CESLas Vegas, 6 to 9 January. Consumer Technology Association6 to 9 January 2027
- re:InventLas Vegas, 30 November to 4 December. Sixty thousand plus on the AWS site30 November to 4 December 2026
- TOKEN2049 SingaporeTwo days at Marina Bay Sands, and a week of side events across the island7 to 8 October 2026
Last checked against its sources on . Dates, venues and ticket tiers are set by GITEX and can change. Confirm on the official site before booking travel.
These lists change, and we post when they do
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