Arab Health (WHX Dubai) · 2027

Agoris analysis · updated October 2026

Key takeaways

• Arab Health has become WHX Dubai (World Health Expo): the 2025 edition celebrated 50 years of Arab Health and marked the move to the new identity, rolled out from the 2026 edition onwards. The WHX brand now anchors a global network of health events.
• Operator: Informa Markets. It is the largest health gathering in the MENA region and one of the largest medical trade shows in the world.
• Next edition: 25 to 28 January 2027, the first edition to fully integrate WHX Labs within the main event, spanning both sites: the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre.
• 2026 WHX Dubai results (figures published on worldhealthexpo.com): 235,000+ professional visits, 90,000 unique visitors, 4,200+ exhibitors from 190 countries.
• Targets announced for the combined WHX Dubai + WHX Labs Dubai 2026 (pre-event projections, source: healthmanagement.org): 270,000+ professional visits and 4,800+ exhibitors.
• Integration of WHX Labs (formerly MEDLAB Middle East) within the main event from 2027, after 25 years as a separate annual gathering.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

The exhibitor offering is built around four product universes: medical devices and equipment, pharma and biotech, laboratories and diagnostics, wellness and longevity. You will find manufacturers, technology innovators, distributors, regional partners, care providers, hospital management, public decision-makers, investors and procurement managers across the entire healthcare value chain. Strictly professional attendance.

Notable exhibitors

Exhibitor list on the official website: worldhealthexpo.com. The 2026 edition brought together 4,200+ exhibitors from more than 190 countries, with a strong presence of United Arab Emirates government entities alongside the major international equipment suppliers and manufacturers (source: worldhealthexpo.com).

Quality of attendance

• 235,000+ professional visits in 2026, from 90,000 unique visitors
• 190 countries represented, decision-maker profile: hospital management, procurement managers, investors, public decision-makers
• The leading sourcing and partnership hub for healthcare in the MENA region

Activities & community

Conference programme

The 2026 edition featured seven CME-accredited conferences (Continuing Medical Education) and more than 250 speakers, covering specialities such as general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, urology, radiology, public health, and quality and safety of care. The content offering spans several specialist stages, with executive masterclasses on leadership and sustainability and the WHX Deep Dive series (digital transformation, sustainability, systemic transformation). Detailed 2027 programme to be published as the trade show approaches (source: worldhealthexpo.com).

Prizes and awards

Innov8: a pitch competition for medtech start-ups, with a main prize of 10,000 dollars. At the 2025 edition (Arab Health), Hera Health Solutions won the competition (source: zawya.com). Categories and 2027 winners to be confirmed as the trade show approaches.

On site: what you need to know

Access, parking and accommodation for the Dubai World Trade Centre: see the Dubai World Trade Centre page.

Specific to the trade show:

• 2027 sites: the event spans the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre, with both sites hosting the merged WHX Dubai + WHX Labs event for the first time.
• 2027 opening hours: Monday 25 January 11am-6pm, Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 January 10am-6pm, Thursday 28 January 10am-5pm (to be confirmed on worldhealthexpo.com as the trade show approaches).
• Visitor badge: reserved for healthcare professionals, with prior online registration on the official website.

Planning your visit

For the exhibitor

• 12 months out: get in touch with the Informa Markets sales team, choose the product universe (medical devices, pharma and biotech, labs and diagnostics, wellness and longevity) and the site.
• 9 months out: apply to the Innov8 competition for medtech start-ups.
• 6 months out: prepare the stand and product demonstrations, brief the team on the country pavilions.
• 6 weeks out: confirm MENA regional buyer meetings, sales briefing.

For the decision-maker visitor

• Pre-register online on the official website with proof of professional healthcare activity.
• Allow 1 to 2 days depending on the scope covered across the two sites.
• Target the CME conferences in advance: the programme is published several weeks before the trade show.

Policy & CSR initiatives

Information on WHX Dubai's CSR commitments was not found on a dedicated page of the worldhealthexpo.com website at the time of writing this page. As of now, no "Sustainability" or "CSR" page has been identified on the official website. An update will be made as soon as the CSR policy is published by Informa Markets for this event.

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

After 50 years under the name Arab Health, the trade show has switched to the WHX Dubai (World Health Expo) identity, backed by operator Informa Markets and its global network of health events. The 2026 edition already amassed 235,000+ professional visits and 4,200+ exhibitors on the WHX Dubai side (post-show results, worldhealthexpo.com). The 2027 edition, from 25 to 28 January, marks an organisational milestone by fully integrating WHX Labs within the main event, bringing the two events together under a single identity and across both sites (Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre) for the first time. This scaling-up confirms the trade show's position as the leading healthcare hub in the MENA region and one of the largest in the world.

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (worldhealthexpo.com).