The Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) at Expo City is set to undergo an expansion, utilizing 14,000 tonnes of steel, equivalent to constructing two Eiffel Towers, according to a report by Khaleej Times.
The project is also said to feature 78,000 square meters of roof sheeting, covering an area comparable to 62 Olympic-size swimming pools, the report said.
The Dh10-billion expansion master plan is expected to support the development of Dubai’s new urban centre, encompassing the Expo City Dubai and the UAE’s first 15-minute city, along with the larger Dubai South community and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), aligning with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
The new exhibition centre, expected to function in 2026 after the completion of its first phase, is said to be capable of hosting up to 20 simultaneous events, including major events like Gulf Foods, Arab Health, and Gitex.
Amer Alfarsi, Acting Vice President of Real Estate Development at DWTC, said, “The design allows us to host a single large-scale event spanning the entire 1.2 km area, with 180,000 square meters of exhibition space, or to accommodate up to 20 events of varying sizes simultaneously.”
During a media tour on Wednesday, officials outlined Phase 1 of the Dubai Exhibition Centre’s expansion, which includes installing 515 foundation piles and using 14,000 tonnes of steel—equivalent to two Eiffel Towers. The phase will add 64,000 square meters of permanent exhibition halls and around 30,000 square meters of temporary halls, increasing the venue’s total indoor capacity to 140,000 square meters by 2026, accommodating up to 50,000 visitors daily with a dedicated parking facility and expanded marshalling yards to improve event turnaround times.
According to Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President at DWTC, DEC’s expansion will significantly boost Dubai’s economy. With DEC’s expansion, Dubai aims to double its annual event count from 300 to 600 by 2033, tripling its economic impact from Dh18 billion to Dh54 billion.”
Once complete, DEC is expected to stand as the largest purpose-built indoor exhibition centre in the region, central to Expo City Dubai‘s vision of becoming a leading economic and cultural hub.