\u00a0<\/b>The UAE\u2019s flagship industrial forum opens Monday in Abu Dhabi with 120,000 visitors expected over four days and a host of new features designed to help businesses tap into one of the world\u2019s most dynamic industrial development stories.<\/p>\n
The fifth and largest edition of\u00a0<\/b>Make it in the Emirates, taking place under the theme \u2018Advanced Industry. Emerging Stronger<\/i>\u2019,\u00a0<\/i>brings together approximately 1,200 exhibitors across 88,000 square metres at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, spanning 12 priority industries including advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defence, pharmaceuticals, energy, mobility, and sustainable materials.<\/p>\n
The scale of this year\u2019s event reinforces the UAE\u2019s long\u2011term industrial direction and commitment to an economy built to keep building. It comes on the heels of industrial GDP rising by 70% from 2021 and exports more than doubling to AED 262 billion.<\/p>\n
Major deals will be announced during the week between government, national enterprises, global corporations, and local businesses.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) will unveil a series of initiatives to bolster the UAE\u2019s industrial resilience and support companies through today\u2019s volatile environment. These include the next generation of the In-Country Value (ICV) Program, which has redirected more than AED 473 billion into the national economy, supporting local jobs and strengthening supply chains.<\/p>\n
New for 2026: AI, start-up, quality & heritage hubs<\/b><\/p>\n
This year\u2019s edition introduces four dedicated experiential hubs \u2014 one of the most significant expansion of the forum\u2019s format since its launch \u2014 reflecting a push to move beyond deal-making and into hands-on industrial capability building.<\/p>\n
Laid out like lobes of the human brain, the\u00a0Intelligence Hub<\/b>\u00a0is a 1,400-square-metre technology showcase positioned along VIP circulation routes and designed for what organizers describe as \u201creal industrial decisions\u201d. The hub features AI, robotics, drones, electric vehicles, batteries, industrial cybersecurity, and smart manufacturing technologies, structured across three showcase categories: locally developed technologies, international innovations, and UAE-global collaborations.<\/p>\n
With SMEs, start-ups, and entrepreneurs accounting for 61% of exhibitors this year, the\u00a0Industry NextGen Hub<\/b>\u00a0supports businesses with a direct pipeline into national procurement. The hub features pitch competitions, investor matchmaking, business-to-business meetings with anchor buyers, and workshops on accessing national financing programmes and integrating into supply chains.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Quality Hub<\/b>\u00a0focuses on the certification and accreditation frameworks that allow UAE-manufactured products to compete in international markets, offering practical guidance on standards compliance.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0House of Industry<\/b>, billed as the UAE’s first immersive industrial heritage exhibition, traces the country’s evolution from early trade through to advanced manufacturing via film, timelines, and interactive exhibits. The debut of a heritage experience at Make it in the Emirates places the UAE\u2019s industrial story at the heart of national identity.<\/p>\n
Make it in the Emirates 2026 is hosted by MoIAT in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), ADNOC, and L\u2019IMAD, and organized by ADNEC Group. Created to advance the UAE\u2019s industrial strategy, the platform operates as a national mechanism for turning ambition into action by convening industrial priorities, capabilities, and opportunities into one place.<\/p>\n