Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi

Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi brings the Gulf’s data centre conference to Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 November, hosted by KEZAD Group as main sponsor. Organised by the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA), this fourth edition is the first to be held in the UAE, and it gathers operators, investors, technology providers and government stakeholders for two days of keynotes, panels and business networking.

What is Touchdown Middle East?

Touchdown Middle East was established by the GDCA, a trade association founded in September 2022 to create a platform for growth and investment in the Gulf data centre industry. The association now counts more than 2,000 members, up from over 1,500 in 2024, with individual and organisation membership open to the industry at no cost. The conference is billed as the Gulf region’s first annual event dedicated to data centres.

The first three editions were all held in Bahrain. The series was co-developed in its early years with Kickstart Europe, an Amsterdam-based data and tech conference organiser, and the 2024 edition on 26 and 27 November combined keynotes, panels and roundtables on future-proofing data centres, sustainability, connectivity, data regulation, inclusivity and the role of investors in GCC growth. That conference drew more than 400 attendees, 24 participating companies and 21 sponsors, and the 2025 edition took place at the Gulf Hotel’s Al Dana Hall. Moving to Abu Dhabi marks a step up in scale: the organisers expect more than 1,500 visitors, over 400 companies, around 70 speakers and participants from more than 30 countries.

Why Abu Dhabi, and why now

KEZAD Group is part of AD Ports Group’s economic zones cluster and describes itself as one of the largest operators of integrated, purpose-built economic zones in the region. Its interest in the conference is how industrial zones, logistics platforms, energy infrastructure and real estate can support data centre investment.

The timing reflects a busy moment for digital infrastructure in the emirate. Abu Dhabi’s Digital Strategy 2025 to 2027 commits major funding to digital transformation, and Stargate UAE, a planned 1GW compute cluster, is expected to bring its first 200MW online in 2026. For an industry built around power, land and connectivity, those projects put Abu Dhabi at the centre of the regional conversation.

The themes on the agenda

Sessions over the two days are built around the questions shaping data centre growth in the Gulf:

• Power availability, connectivity and site readiness.
• Regulation and investment, and how policy shapes where capacity is built.
• AI demand and cloud growth, and what they mean for capacity planning.
• Sustainable data centre development in a hot climate.

Sustainability and connectivity have been recurring themes since the 2024 edition, and this year AI and cloud demand move firmly up the agenda.

Keynote sessions led by industry experts open the programme, followed by panel discussions with leading voices from across the sector. Individual speakers had not been named on the ticket page at the time of writing.

The two-day programme

Wednesday 18 November begins with badge collection and registration from 10am, followed by the opening speech from 10:30am to 10:50am. Sessions and networking continue until the end of day one at 5pm.

Thursday 19 November opens with doors from 10am and an opening keynote from 10:30am to 11:15am, with the conference closing at 3:30pm. Business development is built into the format, so expect structured time to meet operators, suppliers and investors between sessions.

Who should attend

Past editions have targeted data centre operators, equipment manufacturers, professional services firms, government agencies and real estate professionals, and this year’s audience is similar. The conference is aimed at industry leaders, C-level executives, critical decision-makers, operators and influencers from across the Middle East. In practice that covers data centre operators and developers, investors, technology and energy providers, real estate leaders, government stakeholders and digital infrastructure decision-makers. Anyone whose work depends on the growth of cloud and AI capacity in the Gulf will find the agenda relevant.

Tickets are sold as a two-day Delegate Pass. Badges are personal and non-transferable, entry is subject to the venue’s security procedures, and photography and filming take place during the event. The GDCA may amend the programme without notice, and tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled.

The venue: Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers

Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers stands on King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street in Al Bateen, opposite Emirates Palace. By car, head south-west on King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, continue onto Corniche West Street and follow GPS for the final turns; the hotel is on the left. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are an easy alternative.

For more professional events, browse our business and networking listings, see what else is happening in Abu Dhabi, or check things to do in November.