GESS 2026 in Dubai

GESS Dubai 2026 returns to Dubai World Trade Centre from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 November 2026, bringing the region’s education community together for three days in the Sheikh Saeed Halls. Billed by its organisers as the Middle East’s leading education exhibition and conference, the show expects more than 7,500 educators, EdTech leaders, suppliers and decision-makers, drawn from over 90 countries.

Doors open at 10am each day, with the show running until 6pm on the first two days and closing an hour earlier, at 5pm, on the final day. Entry is with a visitor pass, and the organiser says registration is free, so the only step before you go is to register online.

What GESS Dubai Brings Together

GESS, short for Global Educational Supplies and Solutions, combines two things under one roof: a large exhibition of products, services and technology for learning, and a conference programme of CPD sessions and interactive workshops. The show is run by Informa Markets (some listings name Informa Connect) and has been a fixture for schools across the region for well over a decade; the 2023 edition was its 16th.

The exhibition floor is international too. At the 2023 show, exhibitors represented 41 different countries, including suppliers from markets such as China, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan. For teachers and school leaders, that means seeing learning resources, platforms and new EdTech side by side, and talking directly to the people who make them.

With three days available, you can treat GESS as a focused one-day visit or spread your time across the programme, mixing conference sessions with time on the exhibition floor.

The GESS Dubai 2026 Conference Stages

The conference programme is split across several stages, each with its own focus, and offers CPD for educators at every stage of their career, from early-career teachers to senior leaders. Topics run across EdTech, AI, sustainability and the future of learning, and the speaker line-up is made up largely of school leaders, teachers and university staff, many of them from schools across Dubai. The stages include GESS Talks Live and Leaders in Education, a track reserved for principals and members of the Leaders in Education club.

EdTech in Action shows how technology is being used in real classrooms. Design and Build looks at learning spaces and school buildings, Early Years focuses on the youngest learners, and Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability covers how schools support every student and plan for the long term. Looking through each stage’s sessions in advance is the best way to build a day around your role.

The CPD is free with your visitor pass. According to the conference page, attendees who complete three or more hours of conference content earn a CPD-accredited certificate, and those who join the most sessions can enter a draw for Amazon vouchers. For scale, the 2025 edition offered more than 250 CPD-accredited sessions, so it pays to plan which ones you want before you arrive.

Startups, Investment and the GESS Awards

Beyond the classroom-focused stages, GESS has a business side. Education Investment MENA is a strand dedicated to investment in the education sector across the Middle East and North Africa, useful for founders, school groups and investors alike. Startup Spotlight is a pitch stage where young education companies present to investors and education leaders, a good corner of the show for anyone who likes to see new ideas early.

The GESS Education Awards celebrate standout people and organisations in education. Now in their 13th year, the 2026 awards are reported to take place on the evening of 11 November at The H Hotel Dubai, separate from the exhibition halls.

Who Should Visit

GESS is designed for the whole education ecosystem: teachers and classroom practitioners looking for CPD and fresh ideas, school principals and education leaders planning for the year ahead, EdTech innovators and startups, suppliers, buyers and procurement teams, and investors interested in the education sector.

If several people from your school or organisation are going, splitting the stages between you and comparing notes afterwards lets you cover far more of the programme. Procurement teams in particular can use the exhibition to compare suppliers face to face, and the final day’s earlier 5pm close is worth keeping in mind when booking meetings with exhibitors.

Getting to the Sheikh Saeed Halls

The show takes place in the Sheikh Saeed Halls at Dubai World Trade Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road. The venue is a short walk from World Trade Centre Metro Station on the Red Line, so the Metro is the simplest way to arrive on any of the three days.

Looking for more professional events this month? Browse our business and networking events and workshops in Dubai, or see what else is happening around the city in our guides to things to do in Dubai and things to do in November.