At the anniversary edition to mark ten years of Food Africa (9 to 12 December 2025), the exhibition center in New Cairo is once 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 fully fledged exhibition hall. Compared with the previous year, exhibitor numbers are up by 18 percent, while the exhibition space has increased by eleven percent.
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 5.5 percent through to 2030 (compared with 3.1 percent 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, 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.”
