MESSE DÜSSELDORF CELEBRATES SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOWS IN EGYPT AND FURTHER GROWTH IN THE MIDDLE EAST

 Five Düsseldorf trade fair premieres in Dubai and Saudi Arabia in 2026

   On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, Food Africa Cairo is once again recording strong growth. Together with the concurrently held interpack Middle East Africa, it marks the starting point for Messe Düsseldorf’s expansion in the Middle East. After the company set key strategic milestones for this in 2025 – including the opening of an office in Dubai and an MoU with Riyadh Exhibitions Company in Saudi Arabia – five Düsseldorf trade fair premieres are scheduled to take place in the Gulf region next year.

   They are an international success story for Messe Düsseldorf: Food Africa Cairo and interpack Middle East Africa (formerly pacprocess MEA) are posting high growth rates. Messe Düsseldorf launched the regional interpack edition in 2019, followed three years later by its participation in Food Africa Cairo. Since then, the number of exhibitors at this trade fair duo for food and packaging technology has increased by 63% to currently more than 1,200. The exhibition area has grown by two-thirds over the same period, reaching 50,000 square meters.

    At the anniversary edition to mark ten years of Food Africa (December 9 – 12, 2025), the exhibition center in New Cairo is again reaching the limits of its capacity. After an additional lightweight hall had already been erected last year, its size has been doubled for the current edition – at 10,000 square meters, it now corresponds to a full-fledged exhibition hall. Compared with the previous year, exhibitor numbers are up by 18%, while the exhibition space has increased by 11%.

Egypt as a benchmark

   Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, sees this development as a benchmark for the company’s further expansion in the region: “In Cairo, we laid the foundations for our expansion in the Middle East in 2019 – with the launch of what is now interpack Middle East Africa. This enabled us to position ourselves at an early stage in a strategic bridgehead: Egypt as a central link within the MENA region. The strong growth we have achieved here reflects our ambitions in the region.”

   According to market research company jwc, the Middle East is currently the world’s fastest-growing trade fair market. The average annual increase in rented exhibition space is expected to be 7.2% until 2030 (compared with 2.9% worldwide). “We want to unlock the Middle East’s great potential for our customers – not only in Cairo, but in future also in Dubai and Riyadh,” says Wolfram N. Diener. “The region’s economy is becoming increasingly diversified, creating numerous points of connection for the industries represented at Messe Düsseldorf’s leading global trade shows.”

Setting the course

   In 2025, Messe Düsseldorf created key foundations for its growth in the Gulf region: With the opening of the MD Gulf Office in January, the company established its own presence in Dubai for the first time; in May, it staged its first proprietary trade fair in Saudi Arabia, metalflow ALLIANCE Saudi Arabia. Also in May, it concluded a cooperation agreement with Riyadh Exhibitions Company that provides for the regional integration of Düsseldorf’s leading global trade fairs K, interpack and drupa into the Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack (Saudi PPPP) trade fairs. In September, Messe Düsseldorf also acquired a stake in the Access Abilities Expo for assistive technologies in Dubai.

   In 2026, the expansion in the Gulf region will take more concrete shape with five premieres: In April, Saudi PPPP will be held in Riyadh for the first time with the involvement of Messe Düsseldorf. Three further premieres will follow in October at the Dubai World Trade Centre. EuroShop Middle East will specifically address Dubai’s premium and luxury retail environment, while OS+H Middle East, focusing on occupational safety and health, will cover key growth industries in the region, including oil and gas, the maritime industry, aviation, construction and infrastructure. In addition, Access Abilities Expo – combined with the network and expertise of Düsseldorf’s REHACARE – is set to become a platform for inclusion with a strong profile across the entire Middle East.

Strengthening Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia

   “With our investments in the Middle East, we are not only expanding our international portfolio but also strengthening Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia as a trade fair hub,” emphasizes Wolfram N. Diener. “Our new trade fairs serve as powerful ambassadors for our home base. In the future, we aim to welcome even more companies and visitors from the Middle East to the Rhine – and increasingly from Asia as well. The Gulf region is the central intercontinental hub in which we are deliberately positioning ourselves.”

The Messe Düsseldorf Group

Messe Düsseldorf is among the most successful trade show organizers worldwide. It hosts around 40 trade shows, including 20 leading international ones, at its 613,000-m² exhibition center in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 18 halls, international market leaders and top decision-makers of various sectors get together every year in order to present and discover innovations, to exchange ideas and to network. Messe Düsseldorf’s sectors of expertise include: “Machinery, Plants and Equipment,” including metallurgy and foundry technology (inter alia drupa, K, interpack, glasstec, wire and Tube); “Retail, Trades and Services” (EuroShop, EuroCIS, ProWein); “Health and Medical Technology” (MEDICA, COMPAMED, REHACARE, A+A); “Lifestyle and Beauty” (BEAUTY, TOP HAIR); “Leisure” (boot, CARAVAN SALON); and “Mobility” (XPONENTIAL Europe, Flotte!). Completing this lineup are numerous conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings by subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress. Abroad, Messe Düsseldorf organizes more than 80 events. The corporate group’s global network encompasses 78 international r