Make in the UAE 2026 opens in Abu Dhabi with record scale and major industrial initiatives
Make in the UAE 2026 opens May 4–7 at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, drawing 120,000 visitors and 1,245 exhibitors across 88,000 m² to showcase advanced manufacturing and resilience.
Strong opening: event scale and purpose
Make in the UAE 2026 opens on May 4, 2026 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), positioning the country’s industrial agenda at the centre of regional and global investment conversations.
Organisers expect some 120,000 visitors over four days, with 1,245 exhibiting entities occupying an 88,000 square-metre footprint to display products, technologies and investment opportunities.
The platform, now in its fifth edition, aims to translate long-term industrial strategy into tangible projects, contracts and partnerships that strengthen domestic supply chains.
Ministers, business leaders, investors, manufacturers and innovators will converge as the UAE showcases progress on localisation, advanced manufacturing and industrial resilience.
Large-scale turnout and exhibition footprint
Exhibitors span government agencies, national champions, international firms and local SMEs, reflecting a coordinated push to scale manufacturing capacity.
The event’s exhibition layout and experiential zones are designed to highlight entire value chains, from raw materials and components to finished products and services.
Organisers say the scale of the 2026 edition—the largest to date—signals the UAE’s sustained commitment to industry-led growth and to attracting capital and talent for longer-term manufacturing expansion.
Government initiatives and new programmes
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology will unveil a package of initiatives aimed at bolstering industrial resilience under current economic headwinds.
Key measures include a next-generation national content (ICV) programme, a new industrial technology transition index, and fresh financing mechanisms to support manufacturers and suppliers.
These interventions are presented as practical tools to accelerate technology adoption, de-risk scale-up for local firms and align procurement with national industrial priorities.
Deals, partnerships and projected economic impact
Organisers anticipate announcements of significant deals involving government entities, domestic companies and international partners during the four-day platform.
Officials point to measurable industrial progress in recent years, including a roughly 71% rise in industrial GDP and exports that have reached 262 billion dirhams.
Through the national content programme, some 473 billion dirhams has been channelled to UAE manufacturers and suppliers, a figure used to illustrate the multiplier effect of procurement-led industrial policy.
Priority sectors and innovation focus
Make in the UAE 2026 spotlights 12 priority industrial sectors, with particular emphasis on advanced manufacturing, energy, aerospace and defence, pharmaceuticals, mobility and sustainable materials.
Sessions and pavilion exhibits are structured to accelerate sectoral collaboration, demonstrate readiness for decarbonisation and present technology pathways for higher-value production.
The platform also highlights national efforts to build quality infrastructure, resilient supply chains and workforce capabilities that support industrial competitiveness.
Interactive experiences and talent development zones
For the first time the 2026 edition features dedicated interactive areas, including an Industry Museum, an Innovation Hub, a Startups Centre and a Quality Centre.
These experiential zones are intended to showcase recent industrial achievements, local innovation, technology adoption and the emerging generation of Emirati talent.
Organisers say the design will enable visitors to experience end-to-end industrial journeys, from ideation through certification and commercial scale-up.
Opening day programme and leadership remarks
The opening day will feature a keynote address from Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, followed by a ministerial panel on building resilient growth through strategic partnerships and industrial alliances.
Sessions across the platform will bring together policymakers, investors and corporate leaders to discuss public procurement, export pathways, investment incentives and regulatory frameworks that facilitate industrialisation.
The event’s partners include the Ministry of Culture, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, ADNOC and platform partners, with organisation led by ADNEC group to coordinate the multi-stakeholder programme.
Make in the UAE 2026 is framed as a national mechanism to align priorities, capabilities and industrial opportunities in one forum, aiming to convert ambition into projects and contracts.
The platform’s emphasis on localisation, financing, technology transition and skills development will be tested over four days as stakeholders seek concrete commitments and scalable partnerships that reinforce the UAE’s industrial trajectory.
