What GESS Dubai does

GESS Dubai is the Middle East's leading education exhibition and conference, organised by Informa Connect Middle East (a division of Informa plc, LSE: INF) and held annually at Dubai World Trade Centre. The event has run for 13 years (since 2013) and the 2026 edition is scheduled for 10-12 November 2026 across Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, 2 and 3. It serves two primary customer groups: education suppliers and EdTech companies seeking to reach MENA buyers, and educators/school leaders seeking professional development and tools. A secondary audience comprises government education policymakers (via partnerships with regulators such as KHDA, SPEA, and DOK) and education investors (via the Education Investment MENA track).

The event is structured as three integrated products: a B2B trade exhibition, a CPD-accredited multi-track conference programme (covering EdTech, AI, STEAM, Early Years, Sustainability, Education Investment MENA, Design & Build, Leaders in Education, and Product Showcase), and the annual GESS Education Awards ceremony across 30 categories. Supporting technology platforms include the ConnectMe mobile app for meeting booking and agenda access, Streamly for on-demand session video, and partneringONE for B2B networking (Informa-platform level). The technology stack is event-operations tooling rather than proprietary AI/ML product.

GESS Dubai monetises primarily through exhibition stand sales to suppliers (quote-based, multi-year enterprise motion), tiered sponsorship packages (Gold limited to 1, Silver to 2, Bronze to 4 companies, plus 15 individual award sponsorships), and dedicated GESS Education Awards sponsorship. Delegate registration is free for teachers and schools, with the prior $75 supplier/distributor fee waived for 2026 to broaden the community. Marketing is driven by Informa Connect's global events platform and a network of 30+ regional education media and association partners (Edarabia, Teach Middle East Magazine, Education UAE, BSME, COBIS, ISTE+ASCD, ABEGS, RCQE-UNESCO, KHDA, and others). GESS Dubai operates within a broader Informa Connect portfolio that includes sister events such as GESS Saudi Arabia and GESS Global Education.

Name

GESS Dubai

Legal name

GESS Dubai (operated by Informa Connect)

Website

https://gessdubai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GESS Dubai is the Middle East's leading annual education exhibition and conference, organised by Informa Connect Middle East. It connects education suppliers, EdTech companies, school leaders, and government policymakers across the MENA region through a trade exhibition, CPD-accredited conference programme, and the GESS Education Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Industry Events

NAICS

Other Schools and Instruction (6116), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction (611699)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Class & Webinar Marketplaces/Directories (EDAFAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Education exhibition
• Education conference
• EdTech trade show
• Professional development events
• Education industry events

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Stand Sales: GESS Dubai sells physical exhibition booth space (stand packages) to education suppliers, EdTech companies, publishers, and service providers wishing to showcase products to education professionals at the event. Pricing tiers and package options are available in downloadable sales brochures.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Branded sponsorship opportunities at the event include Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers, individual award sponsorships, welcome reception sponsorship, and table branding. These provide logo placement, speaking opportunities, pop-up banners, and client entertainment access. Gold sponsorship is limited to one company; Silver to two; Bronze to four.
3. Delegate / Attendee Registration: Registration fees for education professionals attending the event as delegates. Fees must be paid in full before the event; entry is free for teaching professionals and schools, with the $75 supplier/distributor fee waived as of the 2026 cycle.
4. GESS Education Awards Sponsorship: Dedicated sponsorship of the GESS Education Awards, including Gold, Silver, Bronze, and individual award category sponsorships, providing brand visibility before, during, and after the awards ceremony.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GESS Dubai is an annual education exhibition and conference held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. It operates a multi-day trade-show floor where education suppliers and EdTech providers purchase stand space to display products, a multi-track conference programme featuring speaker sessions for educators and school leaders, and the GESS Education Awards ceremony recognizing excellence in the Middle East education sector.

Product overview

GESS Dubai operates as a unified event portfolio comprising an annual education exhibition and conference (GESS Dubai Exhibition), a CPD-accredited conference programme with multiple content tracks, the GESS Education Awards ceremony with 30 award categories, and supporting digital platforms including the ConnectMe event app for networking and agenda management. The event is organized by Informa Connect Middle East and held at Dubai World Trade Centre. Supporting technology platforms include Streamly for on-demand video content and partneringONE for B2B networking (within Informa's event ecosystem).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GESS Dubai Exhibition

Quantifiable outcome

• CPD-accredited sessions provide professional development certificates for educators attending 3+ hours of conference content
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PowerSchoolcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPowerSchool is a major EdTech company and a GESS Dubai partner, aligning its brand with the leading education exhibition in the Middle East. As a partner, PowerSchool gains brand visibility among thousands of MENA education professionals attending GESS Dubai.
• KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Dubai)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKHDA is a government body regulating private education in Dubai and a partner of GESS Dubai, providing institutional endorsement and helping drive attendance from Dubai private schools to the event.
• ISC ResearchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerISC Research provides intelligence on international schools globally and partners with GESS Dubai to extend event reach to international school leaders and procurement decision-makers.
• ISTE+ASCDcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) and ASCD are global education leadership organisations partnering with GESS Dubai to promote best practices in educational technology across the MENA region.
• BSME (British Schools in the Middle East)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBSME is a regional association of British curriculum schools across the Middle East and a key promotional partner helping drive school leader attendance at GESS Dubai.
• COBIS (Council of British International Schools)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOBIS supports British international schools globally and partners with GESS Dubai to promote the event among its member school network across the Middle East and beyond.
• Queen Rania Teacher AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQRTA is a teacher professional development institution in Jordan and a partner of GESS Dubai, helping promote teacher attendance and CPD opportunities at the event.
• World Education NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld Education Network is a global education professional community that partners with GESS Dubai to promote the event and cross-promote education resources to its international network.
• Abu Dhabi Early Childhood AuthorityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAbu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority supports early years education development in the UAE and partners with GESS Dubai to promote early years programme tracks and resources.
• EdarabiacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEdarabia is a leading MENA education portal and media partner of GESS Dubai, providing editorial coverage, promotional placements, and audience reach to the region's school leaders and educators.
• Teach Middle East MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTeach Middle East Magazine is a regional publication covering education news in the Middle East and serves as a media partner for GESS Dubai, amplifying event promotion to its readership of educators and school administrators.
• Education UAEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation UAE is a UAE-focused education media platform and partner of GESS Dubai, promoting the event and its awards to UAE-based educators and institutions.
• Travelex Travels & Tours LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial travel partner for GESS Dubai, Travelex Travels & Tours assists international visitors with booking flights, hotels, and tours, and can assist with visa procurement, removing logistical barriers to event attendance.
• didacta internationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partnerdidacta international is a global education trade fair (originating from Germany) and a partner of GESS Dubai, representing a potential mutual knowledge-sharing relationship between leading global and regional education exhibition brands.
• Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerABEGS is a Gulf Cooperation Council intergovernmental educational organisation and partner of GESS Dubai, providing institutional credibility and helping facilitate government-level education representation at the event.
• RCQE-UNESCOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Regional Centre for Quality Promotion of Education (RCQE) is a UNESCO-affiliated body and partner of GESS Dubai, lending international institutional credibility and supporting quality education promotion in the region.
• SPEA (Sharjah Private Education Authority)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSPEA is the regulatory body for private education in Sharjah, UAE, and a partner of GESS Dubai helping drive private school representation from the Sharjah region.
• Ras Al Khaimah Department of Knowledge (DOK)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDOK is the education authority for Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, and a partner of GESS Dubai, promoting the event to schools and education professionals within the emirate.
• Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural UnderstandingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe cultural understanding centre in Dubai partners with GESS Dubai as a cultural partner, supporting the event's accessibility and inclusivity for international visitors and contributing to Dubai's positioning as a global education hub.
• Dubai Esports and Games FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDubai Esports and Games Festival is a regional initiative under the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) and a partner of GESS Dubai, representing cross-sector collaboration between esports/gaming and education at the event.
• KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerKOTRA supports Korean companies in international markets and is a partner of GESS Dubai, facilitating participation from Korean EdTech and education suppliers at the event.
• BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBESA represents UK educational suppliers globally and partners with GESS Dubai to facilitate participation from British education product companies targeting the MENA market.
• The Alliance for Sustainable SchoolsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Alliance for Sustainable Schools (TASS) is an Asia-based sustainability in education network and partner of GESS Dubai, supporting the event's sustainability programme tracks and award categories.
• GCC ASCD Connected CommunityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGCC ASCD Connected Community is a regional network affiliated with ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and partners with GESS Dubai to extend professional development content reach across the Gulf region.
• The Young VisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Young Vision is a UAE-based youth empowerment and education initiative and media partner of GESS Dubai, helping promote the event to young educators and student leaders in the region.
• Education Middle EastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation Middle East is a regional education media platform and partner of GESS Dubai, providing editorial and promotional support to the event's audience-building efforts.
• AIELOC (Association of International Educators and Leaders of Color)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAIELOC is an international professional association for educators of colour and a media partner of GESS Dubai, promoting diversity and inclusion themes at the event.
• International Conference AlertsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational Conference Alerts is a global conference discovery platform and media partner of GESS Dubai, helping promote the event to international education conference attendees.
• EdVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEdV is an education technology platform and partner of GESS Dubai, aligning its brand with the regional leading education exhibition and conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bett (Global EdTech Exhibition, London): Bett is the world's largest education technology exhibition and is the most direct comparator to GESS Dubai: a multi-hall trade show, CPD-accredited conference programme, and awards ceremony connecting EdTech suppliers with school buyers. GESS Dubai is essentially Bett's MENA regional equivalent.
• Worlddidac International (Bangkok): Worlddidac International is a long-running global education trade fair covering the same supplier–buyer community as GESS Dubai, focusing on educational materials, equipment, and technology. It operates across emerging markets and is a comparable international trade show format.
• didacta (Germany): didacta is Europe's flagship education trade fair, held annually in Germany, also operated with an international edition. Already a GESS Dubai partner, it is the most direct product-market analogue in terms of format (exhibition + conference) and target audience (educators and EdTech suppliers).
• GESS Saudi Arabia: GESS Saudi Arabia is the sister event under the Informa Connect brand, targeting the Saudi market. It is the closest geographic extension of GESS Dubai and shares sponsorship, content, and operational synergies within the same organizer.
• ISTE Conference (International Society for Technology in Education): ISTE+ASCD is an explicit GESS Dubai partner and runs one of the largest annual EdTech conferences in the US. It targets the same educator/technology decision-maker community and represents the same combination of conference + expo as GESS Dubai.
• SXSWedu (Austin, Texas): SXSWedu is an education-focused conference that runs as part of SXSW, blending EdTech, learning innovation, and policy in a content-rich format similar to GESS Dubai's GESS Talks Live Stage and conference programme tracks.

Emerging players

• EdTech Asia: EdTech Asia connects EdTech investors, educators, and innovators across Asia and the Middle East. While not a single physical exhibition, its conference format and audience (regional EdTech stakeholders) overlap meaningfully with GESS Dubai's buyer-seller audience.
• Global Education & Skills Forum (Dubai): GESF is an annual Dubai-based education forum focused on policy, skills development, and government engagement. It overlaps with GESS Dubai's Leaders in Education and Education Investment MENA tracks but is policy-led rather than product/marketplace-led.

Broad incumbents

• GITEX Global (Dubai): GITEX Global is the Middle East's largest general technology trade exhibition, held at Dubai World Trade Centre. While not education-specific, it includes EdTech exhibitors and competes for the same venue, sponsors, and regional decision-maker attendance.

Regional players

• Middle East Education Show (Abu Dhabi): Organized by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Quality Education, this regional education-focused event targets the same UAE/MENA educator base as GESS Dubai and represents the closest region-anchored competitor in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GESSeducation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/GESSGEF
• Facebookfacebook.com/GESSDubai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gess-educatio
• Instagraminstagram.com/gesseducation
• TikToktiktok.com/@gesseducation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GESS Dubai