DWTC's Hospitality Division Hosts Over 1 Million Guests In Record-Breaking 2023

The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has reported a significant achievement in its Hospitality business for the year 2023, serving over 1 million guests across 2,846 events. This performance marks a 48 percent year-on-year increase in the number of guests catered to and a 23 percent rise in events, establishing DWTC as a leading catering service provider in the region.

Mahir Julfar, Executive Vice President of Venue Operations at DWTC, highlighted the year as one of exceptional accomplishments for the Hospitality division. He emphasized the team's role in enhancing Dubai's event landscape and their unmatched expertise in managing a diverse range of events, including large-scale exhibitions, conferences, weddings, and more. Julfar reaffirmed DWTC's commitment to excellence and its contribution to reinforcing Dubai's status as a top destination for events and hospitality.

DWTC's Hospitality division boasts a modern kitchen facility spanning 3,650 square metres, where it prepared fresh, high-quality cuisine for more than 920,000 guests at various events within its venues in 2023. This effort contributed to the 48 percent increase in guest numbers for the year.

In addition to its on-site services, DWTC's Hospitality business also saw growth in catering for external events, serving over 106,000 guests—a 45 percent increase from the previous year. The number of external events catered to rose by 44 percent to 1,382 in 2023. Noteworthy events included the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai International Boat Show, Dubai Airshow, COP28, GITEX Global, Gulfood, Arab Health, and Arabian Travel Market.

The team also excelled in catering for grand-scale and bespoke weddings, serving 72,520 guests in 2023—a significant jump from the previous year and further cementing DWTC's position as Dubai's premier wedding caterer.

At the Emirates Salon Culinaire 2023, DWTC's Hospitality team showcased their culinary prowess by winning 17 medals, including 8 golds. This achievement set a new competition record and underscored DWTC's reputation for culinary excellence. Pastry Chef Dwiyanti Cintaningrum was notably recognized as the 'Best Pastry Chef of the UAE' and is set to represent at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2024.

Furthermore, DWTC's Hospitality division received accolades at industry awards, being shortlisted as the 'Hospitality Company of the Year' at the Arabian Business Achievement Awards 2024 edition and winning 'Outside Catering Team of the Year 2023' at the Hozpitality F&B Excellence Awards.

This record-breaking performance by DWTC’s Hospitality business not only highlights its capability to cater to a vast number of guests but also its pivotal role in supporting Dubai’s vision as a global hub for major events and hospitality excellence.

With inputs from WAM