Skip to content
Prospector
Get a free sampleReviews
Blog

Gulfood Dubai Guide: Two Venues, Passes and Buyer Leads

By Ilyas Kerbal,

Busy national pavilion at Gulfood 2026 in Dubai
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gulfood is the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade show. The 2026 edition hosted more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries showing over 1.5 million products, and for the first time it ran across two venues in Dubai. It’s the key meeting point for exporters targeting the GCC, the wider Middle East, Africa and South Asia. If importers, distributors and retail buyers are your customers, the Gulfood attendee list is one of the most valuable F&B lists in the world.

This guide is written for the January 2027 edition.

Gulfood key facts
Industry Food & beverage
City Dubai, UAE
Venue Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) + Dubai Exhibition Centre (Expo City Dubai)
Dates Late January, 2026: 26–30 Jan
Frequency Annual
Moves between cities? City fixed; expanded to two venues in 2026
Typical scale ~150,000 attendees · ~5,000 exhibitors
Visitor ticket Paid trade pass (one pass for all 5 days)
App / platform Official Gulfood app
Official website gulfood.com

Details checked in October 2026. Dates, prices and venues can change between editions, so confirm on the official Gulfood website before you book travel.

How Gulfood is organised

From 2026, Gulfood moved to late January and split across two venues, doubling floor space to around 240,000 m²:

Venue Sectors
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Beverages, dairy, fats and oils, meat and poultry, seafood, startups, power brands
Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City Country pavilions, world food, rice, pulses and grains, fresh produce, grocery trade, logistics

Programmes include Future Food 500 and a startup and investor track. The sister show Gulfood Manufacturing covers processing and packaging.

Visitors at food exhibitor stands during Gulfood 2026

Gulfood 2026 hosted more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries. Photo: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Dates and getting around

Gulfood is always in Dubai. The 2026 edition ran from 26 to 30 January, and the 2027 show is expected in late January. Both venues are on the metro, but they’re far apart, so plan which one you need on which day.

Who attends Gulfood

Attendee What they’re sourcing Who should target them
Importers, distributors and wholesalers Products for their markets Food and beverage exporters
Retail chain and hypermarket buyers Ranges and private label Brands and private-label makers
HoReCa and catering buyers Foodservice products Foodservice suppliers
E-commerce and quick-commerce grocery firms Fast-moving SKUs Brands, logistics firms
Government trade delegations Trade partnerships Export agencies
Investors and accelerators Foodtech deals Startups

Going to Gulfood with a sales target? Get the list first. I compile who is exhibiting and attending, add titles, company size and LinkedIn links, and send it as a file your SDRs can work from on day one. Get the Gulfood list

Passes

Gulfood uses a paid trade pass, with one pass covering all five days plus conferences, workshops and culinary events. Early registration is discounted and there are no refunds. It’s for trade and business professionals only, 18+ with photo ID. The official show catalogue costs AED 225.

The Gulfood app

The official Gulfood app is recommended for navigating both venues, searching exhibitors and scheduling. You get a URN by email and a print-at-home badge before the show.

The app is good. But with 8,500+ exhibitors and buyers from almost every country, finding the right importers for your category and region inside an app is slow. An enriched, filterable list, sorted by country, category and role, lets you plan both venues and book meetings ahead.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Unmatched global reach for F&B exporters
  • Strong GCC, MENA and Africa buyer base
  • Official app and good logistics
  • Conferences included with the pass
  • Predictable annual timing

Cons

  • Paid pass; Dubai hotel prices peak
  • Two venues far apart
  • Very crowded
  • Strictly B2B, no on-site sales
  • High stand prices for exhibitors

Want to see which competitors are at Gulfood? The exhibitor list tells you, and I can enrich it with company size, industry and contacts so you know where to focus. Ask for the Gulfood exhibitor list

Preparing for Gulfood 2027

  1. Register early for the discounted pass.
  2. Check which venue your category is in, and where your target buyers are likely to be.
  3. Target importers by country. GCC, Africa and South Asia buyers have very different needs.
  4. Book meetings in early January; December holidays make late outreach hard.
  5. Bring samples, price lists and certifications (halal and others relevant to your markets).
  6. Follow up within a week. Buyers meet hundreds of suppliers in five days.

FAQ

When is Gulfood 2027?

Gulfood moved to late January from 2026 (26–30 January). Expect late January 2027; confirm on gulfood.com.

Where is Gulfood held?

Across two Dubai venues: Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City.

Is Gulfood free?

No. It’s a paid trade pass covering all five days. Early registration is discounted.

Can I get the Gulfood exhibitor and buyer list?

The app helps on the floor but doesn’t export. I can deliver an enriched Gulfood list for your target categories and regions.

Turn Gulfood into booked meetings

Event apps are built for browsing, not for sales teams. They cap connections, hide data behind logins and rarely let you export anything. I pull attendee, exhibitor and speaker data from the app and the event website, enrich every profile and hand you a clean file before the doors open, so your reps can book meetings in advance and follow up properly afterwards.

Get in touch to order the Gulfood list

Sources

Photo credits