Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s flagship industrial forum opens Monday in Abu Dhabi, with 120,000 visitors expected over four days. The event features a host of new initiatives designed to help businesses tap into one of the world’s most dynamic industrial development stories.
The fifth and largest edition of ‘Make it in the Emirates,’ themed ‘Advanced Industry: Emerging Stronger,’ brings together approximately 1,200 exhibitors across 88,000 square metres at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. The forum spans 12 priority industries, including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, pharmaceuticals, energy, mobility, and sustainable materials.
The scale of this year’s event reinforces the UAE’s long-term industrial direction and its commitment to a resilient economy. This follows a 70% rise in industrial GDP since 2021 and a doubling of exports to AED 262 billion. Major deals are expected to be announced throughout the week between government entities, national enterprises, global corporations, and local businesses.
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) will unveil a series of initiatives to bolster the UAE’s industrial resilience. These include the next generation of the In-Country Value (ICV) Program, which has already redirected more than AED 473 billion into the national economy, supporting local jobs and strengthening supply chains.
This year’s edition introduces four dedicated experiential hubs—the most significant expansion of the forum’s format since its inception—designed to move beyond deal-making into hands-on capability building:
The Intelligence Hub: A 1,400-square-metre technology showcase featuring AI, robotics, drones, electric vehicles, and industrial cybersecurity. It is structured to facilitate “real industrial decisions” through three categories: locally developed technologies, international innovations, and UAE-global collaborations.
The Industry NextGen Hub: With SMEs and startups accounting for 61% of exhibitors, this hub provides a direct pipeline into national procurement. It features pitch competitions, investor matchmaking, and workshops on accessing national financing programs.
The Quality Hub: Focused on certification and accreditation frameworks, this hub offers practical guidance on standards compliance to help UAE-manufactured products compete in international markets.
The House of Industry: Billed as the UAE's first immersive industrial heritage exhibition, it traces the country's evolution from early trade to advanced manufacturing through film, timelines, and interactive exhibits.
Make it in the Emirates 2026 is hosted by MoIAT in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), ADNOC, and L’IMAD, and is organized by ADNEC Group. The platform serves as a national mechanism for turning industrial ambition into action by centralizing priorities, capabilities, and opportunities.