By The 93rd UFI Global Congress will be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, 2-5 November 2026 at Exhibition World Bahrain, under the auspices of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA).
Her Excellency Fatima bint Jaafar Al Sairafi, minister of tourism of the Kingdom of Bahrain, received Chris Skeith OBE, CEO and managing director of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI); Said Al Shanfari, UFI president-elect for the 2027-2028 term and CEO of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC), and Naji El Haddad, UFI regional director for the Middle East and Africa, during their visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain to review preparations for the Congress.
The minister emphasised that hosting Congress represents an important milestone in strengthening Bahrain’s position as a leading destination for business tourism and events. Her Excellency noted that preparations for the Congress were progressing in close coordination with the various relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of an event.
During the meeting, the senior UFI delegation reviewed the preparations underway for the Congress and discussed areas of co-operation and coordination between the BTEA and UFI.
The delegation toured Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) to review its facilities and met with the teams working on delivering the event. The delegation also visited several locations across the Kingdom that are scheduled to host activities and events taking place alongside the Congress.
Chris Skeith said: “It was a pleasure to visit Bahrain and meet with representatives of the tourism sector and the teams working on the Congress preparations. We have seen the progress being made and the clear commitment demonstrated by our hosts. Bahrain is a distinctive destination for the global exhibitions community, and we look forward to bringing UFI members and industry representatives together here in November for a Congress rich in dialogue and engagement.”
Said Al Shanfari added: “The Middle East continues to strengthen its position and influence within the global exhibitions industry, and Bahrain’s hosting of the Congress is an important reflection of this momentum. Our visit provided an opportunity to review the preparations underway and highlighted the strong co-operation between UFI and BTEA. We look forward to returning to Bahrain this November and welcoming colleagues from the industry from around the world.”
The upbeat message from UFI and BTEA comes as some in the industry have expressed misgivings that the Congress is going ahead in a country recently targeted with missiles fired by Iran, which also hit Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait on 1 September.
Registration for the Congress remains open. For more information visit: www.uficongress.org
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