Trade show - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Gulfood Manufacturing

The MENA food production and machinery exhibition. Next edition: November 3-5, 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

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Next edition

November 3-5, 2026

Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Official site
Tracking for intelligence

We monitor this show for buyer trends and product intelligence without exhibiting this year.

About the show

What it is, who attends

Gulfoods sister show, focused on food production technology, packaging machinery, and ingredients. Held annually in Dubai every November.

Why it matters

Intelligence-only. We track packaging-line and material innovation. Useful for benchmarking what our buyers will expect as standard in 2-3 years.

40,000+

Visitors

1,600+

Exhibitors

100

Countries

Calendar

Upcoming editions

Since 2014

How it grew

12 years of editions, reshaped by changing buyer behaviour and category growth.

  1. 2014

    Inaugural edition launched at Dubai World Trade Centre following a directive to spin food production and machinery out of the Gulfood finished-foods show. First edition: 1,100+ companies from 56 countries, 26,329 visitors from 156 countries across 50,000 sqm.

  2. 2015

    Second edition confirms the spin-off format. Show establishes five core sectors: Ingredients, Processing, Packaging, Supply Chain Solutions, and Control & Automation.

  3. 2021

    Yummex Middle East (sweets and snacks) and a Private Label segment are co-located for the first time, running alongside Gulfood Manufacturing at DWTC during the Dubai Expo 2020 period.

  4. 2023

    Biggest-ever edition to that date. Show expands to 21 halls and positions Dubai as a regional hub for AI-powered food manufacturing and sustainable processing technology.

  5. 2025

    Record-breaking edition: 2,500 exhibitors from 79 countries across 21 halls with 32% growth in show participation vs 2024. Tetra Pak makes a global product launch at the show. Industry Excellence Awards introduced as a named recognition programme.

Floor plan

Halls and zones to know

Where tea, private label, and beverage buyers concentrate on the show floor.

Processing & Packaging - Halls 1-4, Za'abeel Halls 1-3, Trade Centre Arena, Sheikh Saeed Halls

Filling lines, form-fill-seal machinery, secondary packaging, aseptic systems, labelling, and high-speed bottling. Also covers inspection, dosing, and thermal processing systems.

Why it mattersThe section where double-chamber tea-bag machine OEMs, envelope-forming lines, and secondary-packaging automation sit. Buyers here include packaging-line operators evaluating machinery for the next 3-5 years. Useful for tracking throughput benchmarks and material compatibility that will set buyer expectations for our format.

Ingredients - Halls 5-9, Pavilion, Sheikh Maktoum Hall, Sheikh Rashid Hall

Botanicals, flavours, stabilisers, functional actives, sweeteners, and processing aids. Biotech-derived and precision-fermented ingredients increasingly present.

Why it mattersFor full-production clients requesting custom herbal and botanical blends, this is the section to track ingredient-supply trends. Functional actives that appear here as exhibition novelties tend to surface in buyer RFQs 12-18 months later.

Gulf Host - Za'abeel Halls 4-6

Hospitality equipment, smart kitchens, foodservice automation, and HORECA-adjacent solutions.

Why it mattersMinimal direct relevance for a tea co-packer. Useful background context on how HORECA buyers in the Gulf region source and what service-format expectations they carry into beverage procurement.

This edition

What to look out for

FoodTech Summit - 100+ speakers on manufacturing futures

A parallel conference running across all three show days. The 2025 edition brought 50% more new speakers than the prior year, including representatives from Mars, Unilever, and Titan Capital. Topics cover AI in food production, cold-chain integrity, sustainable engineering, and alternative proteins. Speakers are sourced globally, not just from the region.

Industry Excellence Awards - nine categories covering innovation verticals

Introduced at the 2025 edition. Nine categories including Best Packaging Innovation, Best Processing Innovation, AI & Smart Manufacturing Innovation, Best Food Safety Innovation, Functional Ingredient of the Year, and Renewable Energy Initiative. The 2025 packaging award went to SIG for the Terra Alu-free + Full Barrier carton. Winners are announced on-site during the show.

Innovation Tours - guided floor walk of breakthrough technologies

Curated guided tours of the show floor focused on specific technology themes. Allows buyers and visitors to efficiently locate the most relevant new equipment and material launches without navigating 21 halls independently.

32% single-year growth and 61,907 professionals expected in 2026

The 2025 edition grew 32% vs 2024 and the 2026 edition targets 61,907 industry professionals. The MENA region recorded a 43.65% CAGR in AI adoption across food manufacturing, and GCC governments pledged over 3.8 billion USD into food technology and agri-innovation, driving high regional investment appetite at the show.

Global product launches staged at the show

Exhibitors use Gulfood Manufacturing as a regional launch platform. Tetra Pak chose the 2025 edition for the global debut of Tetra Pak Factory OS. The compressed three-day format concentrates buyer attention and increases launch impact.

Who you will see

Exhibitors and buyers at recent editions

Notable exhibitors

Brands typically exhibiting in the tea, private-label, or adjacent halls.

  • Tetra Pak - used 2025 edition for a global product launch (Tetra Pak Factory OS)
  • SIG - signed 9 filling-line sales at the 2025 show
  • Krones AG - presented on 348 sqm at 2025 with filling, packaging, and digitalisation solutions
  • Multivac Middle East FZE - packaging machinery and thermoforming lines
  • Sidel - PET filling and packaging lines
  • KHS Middle East FZCO - beverage filling and packaging systems
  • Ishida - multihead weighers and inspection systems (AI & Smart Manufacturing Excellence Award 2025)
  • TNA Solutions - processing and packaging integration systems
  • Heat & Control - processing and inspection equipment
  • Grace Food Processing & Packaging Machinery - tea bagging machines listed in exhibitor categories
  • ADM International - ingredient supplier (Functional Ingredient of the Year Award 2025)
  • DSM-Firmenich - flavour and ingredient systems
  • Brenntag - ingredient distribution
  • Givaudan - flavours and fragrance ingredients
  • Symrise AG - flavours and active ingredients

Notable buyers

Retail chains, hospitality groups, and importers known to send delegations.

  • GCC regional food manufacturers evaluating packaging-line upgrades
  • MENA co-packing operations sourcing new filling and primary-packaging machinery
  • Retail-chain private-label sourcing managers from Gulf Cooperation Council countries
  • HORECA procurement teams from major Gulf hospitality groups
  • Export-focused food manufacturers from Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia benchmarking MENA market standards
  • Ingredient buyers and R&D teams from MENA food brands
  • Supply chain and logistics operators serving the Gulf food sector
Plan your visit

Tickets, travel, accommodation, exhibiting

Ticket access

Trade and business professionals only. Strictly B2B - general public and persons under 21 are not admitted. Pre-registration is mandatory via visit.gulfoodmanufacturing.com. Proof of industry affiliation may be requested before badge issue. Badges are non-transferable and require photo ID at entry. No ticket pricing is published on the official site; free trade registration is standard practice, with some exhibitor-sponsored complimentary passes available.

Opening hours

10:00 to 18:00 on days 1 and 2 (3-4 November 2026); 10:00 to 17:00 on day 3 (5 November 2026). Based on 2026 official schedule.

Getting there

  • Dubai International Airport (DXB) - approximately 15-20 minutes by taxi or metro to DWTC
  • Dubai Metro Red Line - World Trade Centre station is directly adjacent to DWTC
  • Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) - approximately 45-60 minutes by road

Accommodation

Novotel World Trade Center and Ibis World Trade Center are directly connected to or adjacent to DWTC and are the closest options. Sheikh Zayed Road corridor hotels (Fairmont, Four Points, Marriott) are within walking distance or one metro stop. Book at least 3-4 months in advance as rates rise sharply once the show is announced.

Exhibitor cost

No official per-sqm rate is published for Gulfood Manufacturing specifically. Industry sources citing adjacent DWTC shows indicate a general starting range of AED 1,500-2,000 per sqm (approximately 410-545 USD) excluding custom build and logistics. Contact GfmMarketing@dwtc.com for current rates.

Programme

Awards and co-located events

Awards + competitions

  • Gulfood Manufacturing Industry Excellence Awards - nine categories: Best Packaging Innovation, Best Processing Innovation, AI & Smart Manufacturing Innovation, Best Food Safety Innovation, Functional Ingredient of the Year, Non-Functional Ingredient of the Year, Multisensory Experience Innovation, Plant-Based Manufacturing Company of the Year, and Renewable Energy Initiative. Entries open to exhibitors. Winners announced on-site.

Co-located events

  • Yummex Middle East - sweets and snacks show for the MENA region, historically co-located with Gulfood Manufacturing at DWTC (confirmed co-location in 2021; check dwtc.com for 2026 confirmation)
  • Gulf Host - MENA hospitality and foodservice equipment event, recently added as a co-located show to expand the DWTC November cluster (confirmed for 2026 Gulfood main show expansion; Gulfood Manufacturing proximity TBC)
Our take

Why we think buyers should weigh this show this way

Gulfood Manufacturing is a machinery and technology show, not a buyer show. The attendees are packaging-line operators, plant engineers, and ingredient procurement teams - not private-label brand managers or retail sourcing leads. For Balkan Tea as a tea co-packer, this means the show is intelligence-only: we attend to track what packaging machinery OEMs are shipping to the MENA region now, because that equipment will define what regional food manufacturers consider standard quality in 2-3 years.

The packaging halls are the most relevant section. Double-chamber bag machine makers, form-fill-seal suppliers, and sustainable envelope-material companies exhibit here. Walking the show every 2-3 years is a low-cost way to benchmark throughput speeds, material specifications, and automation levels that our equipment will be compared against in buyer RFQs.

The FoodTech Summit conference content is useful for ingredient-trend signals. The Industry Excellence Awards packaging category is worth tracking to see which material and system innovations win market acceptance in the Gulf region first.

FAQ

Common questions

Quick answers buyers ask before committing the travel budget.

  • Gulfood (February) is a finished-goods and branded-food trade show for buyers and sellers of food products. Gulfood Manufacturing (November) focuses on the production supply chain: machinery, packaging equipment, processing technology, and ingredients. They share the Dubai World Trade Centre venue but run on separate calendars.

Meet us

Going to Gulfood Manufacturing? Lock a meeting before you fly.

Send a brief by phone, WhatsApp, or form and we will set time aside on the floor or in a private meeting space. Co-packing, full production, sample-pack handover - whatever scope fits.

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Talk to us

Talk to us about your tea project

Phone, WhatsApp, or send a message. We answer Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00 CET in English, Albanian, Macedonian, and German.

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