GITEX in two venues, one team to move.
The GITEX Summit is on Monday 7 December at Dubai World Trade Centre. The Expo opens the next morning, Tuesday 8 December, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai, at the southern edge of the city. A single visitor can take the train. A team moving laptops, banners and bags needs a plan for the evening in between.
Why this move needs its own plan
Most big shows stay in one hall. GITEX Global 2026 does not. The organiser describes the week as opening on 7 December at Dubai World Trade Centre with the Summit, before moving to the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City Dubai from 8 to 11 December for the full Expo and conferences. The Expo moved to the new site from DWTC, and at least one venue listing still shows different dates.
The two sites are not near each other. They are not walkable. Our own route calculation puts the road distance at about 40 kilometres, with a free-flow drive of around 35 to 40 minutes. We give a range of approximately 35 to 55 minutes, because the first morning of the Expo will not be free-flow.
We are not the organiser’s transport provider and we are not part of the event. We do not sell tickets or passes. Read this page as a guide to how the public options work, and where a private vehicle helps.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteOption one: the Red Line
The organiser says the Dubai Metro Red Line connects both venues. World Trade Centre station serves the Summit and Expo 2020 station serves the Expo. The organiser lists a walk of approximately 5 to 10 minutes from the Expo station to the venue. DWTC says its own station is on site.
Its tip is worth repeating: two Red Line trains may arrive at the same platform, so take the one going to Expo 2020. You will need a Nol card, and the organiser recommends a Silver or Gold card for multi-day attendance. We do not print fares.
For a team of two or three travelling light, this is the sensible choice. For a team of eight with equipment, it means carrying that equipment through stations, up escalators and along a platform at the end of a long day. Check the RTA timetable for the last train, because a late finish can run past it.
Option two: the organiser’s own shuttle
The organiser lists direct DWTC to Dubai Exhibition Centre shuttles among its event services. At the Expo end, it says they arrive at the South Drop-Off, which also serves official event buses and overflow parking shuttles. Hotel and exhibitor shuttles run through the Transportation Hub.
We could not find a timetable, a pick-up point inside DWTC, a capacity or any word on luggage. The organiser says routes may change and asks visitors to follow onsite signs and staff instructions. If the shuttle suits your team, use it and save the call. Check its current notice on gitex.com before you plan around it.
Option three: a private vehicle for the move
This is where we come in, and it is a narrower fit than the first two. A private vehicle makes sense when the team has more than it can comfortably carry, when it must leave at a fixed hour, or when the move includes a hotel change.
| Situation | What helps |
|---|---|
| Two or three people, light bags | Red Line or the organiser shuttle |
| Four to seven with cabin bags and a few boxes | Mercedes V-Class with a driver |
| A stand crew of up to 13 with equipment | 13-seater van or Mercedes Sprinter, which takes up to 16 |
| A delegation of 22 or more with luggage | 30-seater mini coach or 50-seater coach |
Roll-up banners, laptops and boxes of brochures or samples fit in a coach hold or the back of a van. Pallets do not. Use a logistics company for those.
The question that decides it: do you change hotel?
Some teams stay in one hotel all week. Their move on Monday evening is just the usual commute with a different destination the next morning. Downtown Dubai and Business Bay are close to the Summit, around 10 to 20 minutes by road, and 30 to 45 minutes from Expo City. Marina and JBR sit closer to the Expo. A team in a central hotel simply leaves earlier on Tuesday.
Other teams move to the south after the Summit, to be near the Expo. The venue lists Rove Expo City, Cheval Maison Expo City Dubai and Expo Village Serviced Apartments as within walking distance of the Dubai Exhibition Centre. A team checking out of a Downtown hotel on Monday evening, with all its bags, is exactly the case where a private vehicle earns its place: one pick-up from the hotel, one drop-off at the new one, no change of train with suitcases.
The sums are simple. The Summit lists hours of 9:30 to 5:00 and the Expo 10:00 to 5:00, according to the organiser’s footer, with no AM or PM mark, so check the day on gitex.com. Allow for the Summit finishing, the hotel pick-up, and the drive south in the evening traffic, and tell us the time you want to arrive.
A sample plan for a team of ten
Example: a company brings ten people to the Summit, staying in a Downtown hotel. On Monday morning a 13-seater van takes them to DWTC. They use the Summit, meet people and finish in the late afternoon. The van collects them at an agreed point, then drives to the hotel, where they collect their luggage. It carries them to an Expo City hotel, with a drop-off at the door.
On Tuesday they walk or take the Metro, since they are now close to the Expo. That is one vehicle for one night, quoted for the hours it needs, not a week of hire. Ask for a fixed written quote, and tell us both venues, both days and both hotels.
Where the van can stop
At DWTC the organiser says nothing specific for private coaches. At the Expo, the South Drop-Off serves private vehicles at designated locations and the organiser says to follow directions from traffic marshals. We could not find whether minibuses, coaches or chauffeur cars may use it, or the Transportation Hub, or where they may wait. So we confirm the drop-off point against the organiser’s access plan before the day, and the driver confirms it on arrival. We do not name a bay we cannot source.
Our pages on DWTC event transport and Expo City transport go into each venue. The event transport page explains how we plan a larger delegation.
Keep reading
- GITEX Global 2026 transport guide: Which GITEX Global 2026 venue on which day, how the Metro and the organiser’s shuttles work, and where a private pre-booked vehicle fits.
- DXB airport to Expo City for GITEX: Landing at Dubai International for GITEX Global 2026 and heading to Expo City: Metro, taxi or a pre-booked vehicle, hotel first or venue first, bags and the return.
- Marina and JBR hotels to GITEX at Expo City: Staying in Dubai Marina or JBR for GITEX Global 2026: the run to Expo City, the daily timing, Metro or private vehicle, and getting back after a late finish.
- Downtown and Business Bay hotels to GITEX: Staying in Downtown Dubai or Business Bay for GITEX Global 2026: a short hop to DWTC on 7 December, a longer run to Expo City from 8 to 11 December, and when a vehicle helps.
- GITEX late evening return and FAQ: Getting back from the GITEX Global 2026 venues after the show closes: Metro, taxis, the organiser shuttles, and a pre-booked driver for dinner and the hotel.
- Gulfood 2027 two-venue day: Seeing both Gulfood venues in one day: the 40 km between DWTC and Expo City, the Metro, the organiser’s shuttle and when one private driver makes the day simpler.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
Is Expo City walkable from DWTC?
No. The two venues are about 40 kilometres apart by road. Use the Red Line, the organiser’s DWTC to Dubai Exhibition Centre shuttle, or a private vehicle.
Which venue is the expo at?
The Expo is at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City Dubai, from 8 to 11 December 2026. Only the one-day Summit on 7 December is at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Does the organiser run a shuttle between the two?
The organiser lists direct DWTC to Dubai Exhibition Centre shuttles. We could not find a timetable, so read its current notice. We are not the organiser’s transport provider.
How long does the drive take?
Approximately 35 to 55 minutes between the two venues, depending on traffic. Allow more on show days.
Can the vehicle carry our equipment?
Roll-ups, laptops and boxes of brochures or samples fit in the hold of a coach or the back of a van. For pallets or heavy freight, use a logistics company.
Can you move us and our luggage between hotels?
Yes. Tell us both addresses and both times. One driver collects the team and the bags at the first hotel and drops everyone at the second.
Do you sell tickets or passes?
No. We do not sell tickets, passes or exhibitor space. Register through the organiser at gitex.com.
How do I get a quote?
Send the dates, the group size, both venues and both hotels through the booking page. We reply with a fixed written quote listing the vehicle, the hours and the stops.
Moving venues mid-week? Send both hotels.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.