DWTC’s Hospitality Division has a record-breaking year, catering to over 1 million guests across 2,846 events in 2023

Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar, Executive Vice President, Venue Services Management, Dubai World Trade Centre

By Muhammad Rafiq

DUBAI: Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has announced a record-breaking year for its Hospitality business in 2023, catering to over 1 million guests across 2,846 events. This remarkable achievement reflects a 48% increase Y-o-Y in guests catered to and a 23% rise Y-o-Y in events catered for, underscoring DWTC’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences and solidifying its position as a premier catering service provider in the region.

Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President of Venue Operations at Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “2023 was a year of outstanding achievements for DWTC’s Hospitality business. This milestone not only reaffirms our pivotal role in shaping Dubai’s vibrant events landscape but also spotlights the driving force behind our culinary operations – our hospitality team. Renowned for their expertise in providing catering solutions across events of all scales, from on-site and off-site large-scale events including exhibitions, conferences to weddings, gala dinners, banquets, concerts and more, our award-winning team’s capabilities are unmatched. We remain committed to setting new standards and pushing boundaries, embracing the true essence of hospitality to elevate every occasion and further enhance Dubai’s global reputation as a premier destination for events and hospitality.”

Featuring a state-of-the-art kitchen facility, spanning 3,650 square metres, delivering fresh, high-quality cuisine entirely in-house, DWTC’s Hospitality division catered to more than 920,000 guests at events across its venues, resulting in a 48% increase in 2023. These events included mega exhibitions, international association conventions and industry conferences to high profile weddings, corporate and private events.

Continuing to build on its strong portfolio of high-profile external events, DWTC’s Hospitality division catered to more than 106,000 guests at external events (events not held within DWTC’s own venues) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 45%. The number of external events catered to also grew significantly, up to 1,382 in 2023, representing an annual increase of 44%.

Some of the notable events in 2023 included, Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai Airshow, COP28, GITEX Global, Gulfood, Arab Health, Arabian Travel Market among others.

As specialists in grand-scale and bespoke weddings, the DWTC Hospitality team catered to an impressive 72,520 wedding guests in 2023, a 143% increase, up from 29,880 guests in 2022, reaffirming its status as the premier caterer for wedding celebrations in Dubai.

As a key contributor to Dubai’s thriving events industry, and a capacity to cater for up to 40,000 guests per day, DWTC’s Hospitality business recorded a stellar performance at the Emirates Salon Culinaire 2023. The DWTC team won 17 medals, with 8 golds including the ‘Best Individual Establishment in the UAE’, setting a new competition record highlighting the organisation’s reputation for excellence. DWTC’s Pastry Chef, Dwiyanti Cintaningrum, clinched the ‘Best Pastry Chef of the UAE’ and ‘Best Four-Plated Dessert’ titles earning her a coveted spot at the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany as part of The Emirates Culinary Guild where she was awarded a gold medal for ‘Pastry Art’ and two silver medals in the ‘Pastry Artistic’ and ‘Pastry Art’ categories. DWTC’s Hospitality division was also shortlisted as the ‘Hospitality Company of the Year’ at the 2024 edition of the Arabian Business Achievement Awards. Additionally, the team were awarded the ‘Outside Catering Team of the Year 2023’ at the 2024 Hozpitality F&B Excellence Awards.