Myplant & Garden is expanding and solidifying its international presence. The most important Italian trade event for professionals in the green industry has officially presented Myplant & Garden Middle East, the first Italian B2B green industry fair in Dubai and the only event dedicated to the ornamental green industry in the Middle East.
The new fair is made possible thanks to close collaboration with IEG Middle East offices, a solid and established presence in Dubai’s trade fair scenario. The organizers aim to tap into new commercial channels and enter a market with growing potential, driven by a clientele particularly attentive to sustainable development and the enhancement of biodiversity at a local level. On a larger scale, it is also supported by being the main logistics hub in the region and one of the most important in the world.
“The choice of IEG to increasingly focus on international markets,” explains CEO Corrado Peraboni, “is further confirmed with this first edition of Myplant & Garden Middle East, the first Italian B2B green trade show that will be held in Dubai, a market full of potential for this sector. An international opportunity was also part of what was promised to operators in this sector at the time of the acquisition. The choice of Dubai also aligns with the path already established with JGT Dubai (Jewellery, Gem & Technology) and Dubai Muscle Show, Dubai Active, and Dubai Active Industry. The group’s strategy, aiming to position itself more and more as a global player, is to create spin-offs of its most significant events in the most interesting areas for the various products. Our commitments abroad are growing, looking at non-European markets with greater potential, and Myplant & Garden Middle East is part of this strategic development plan.”
“In expectation of the tenth edition of Myplant,” say the organizers, “we have decided to go to Dubai physically to showcase the quality of a high-level trade fair offering. In 2023, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar – imported about $390 million worth of plant material. The UAE, with $145 million, and Saudi Arabia, with $130 million, lead the ranking, and the sentiment is positive for the coming years.”
Myplant & Garden Middle East, the first Italian B2B green industry trade fair in Dubai, will also be the only event dedicated to the ornamental green industry supply chain, from production to landscape design, in the Middle East.
Dubai’s focus on greenery is part of a strategic development vision, which has translated into the enhancement and preservation of natural resources – the eight protected areas cover 31% of the territory – with the goal of protecting, restoring, and promoting natural ecosystems through scientific research initiatives, monitoring, and landscape protection.
Furthermore, the development of commercial and residential activities towards desert areas and the concentration of tourism, especially in coastal areas (Dubai is one of the most visited destinations in the world), offer ample opportunities for the entry of horticultural products and services: as design materials for urban, construction, and infrastructural development, as a distinctive element in organizing hospitality spaces, as a tool for creating a habitat resilient to climate change, and as a subject for R&D in precision agriculture and sustainable cultivation within a framework of public investments in high-innovation sectors.
The UAE’s floricultural import in 2023 settled at $145 million, constantly increasing from $79 million in 2020 to $116 million in 2022.
The Netherlands is the leading trade partner (>28% of imports), followed by Kenya (>22%). Ecuador (>8%) and China (7%) vie for third place, far behind the top two countries. Colombia, Thailand, Spain, India, France, and the United States complete the top ten.
In this context, the ‘Made in Italy’ product – even though Italy is the third-largest exporter worldwide, with over 5% of the shares – still plays a marginal role, with exports to the UAE estimated just above $1 million (equivalent to 0.8% of the UAE’s floricultural imports).
The Italian product has great potential to penetrate the Emirate markets, in line with the needs dictated by the ongoing development strategies in those territories. Also thanks to the strategic partnership signed between Italy and the UAE in 2023, which opens up new collaborations in the circular economy and sustainable development, innovation and 4.0 technologies, agritech and greentech, renewable energies, and clean technologies, food security, and advanced industry and technologies.
“Within an international event, we will strive to highlight the Italian taste for beauty and quality in spaces, settings, and content, ensuring that the event will be elegant and attractive, as well as profitable for everyone,” comment the organizers.
The commercial action coordinated with IEG Middle East includes the involvement of a selection of floricultural brands from Europe and beyond: the goal of the first edition is to involve around 70 companies and develop the exhibition across all 5,000 sqm of the available area.
The 9 main exhibition sectors foresee the participation of entities active in the fields of nurseries, flowers, decoration, machinery, technology, pots, services, landscaping, and furnishings.
Scouting and incoming operations for buyers and operators will be organized in collaboration with international agencies. The target audience will include public clients, distribution chains, designers, real estate operators and developers, import-export managers, landscape designers, green space creators, and professionals in the hospitality industry. Myplant & Garden Middle East will also target operators in the Sportsgrounds sector, offering unique expertise in products and services for fields, facilities, and play areas: an important opportunity for companies in the sector to present themselves in a region undergoing major development plans for outdoor sports and bordering Saudi Arabia, which will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, building 15 new stadiums and implementing a plan for major urban and infrastructural projects.
The Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) is the new event venue in Dubai, located within Expo City, the area that hosted Expo Dubai 2020: an innovative and sustainable hub surrounded by 45,000 square meters of parks and gardens and 10 km of cycle paths. The exhibition center extends over an area of 60,000 square meters with 9 pavilions and 5 multi-purpose halls, close to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) and the metro station. The Dubai Exhibition Centre DEC hosts 5,000 events, exhibitions, fairs, and international congresses each year.
Myplant & Garden Middle East will debut from November 15 to 17, 2025, simultaneously with the eighth edition of the Italian Cuisine Week in the World organized by the Italian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Italian Consulate General in Dubai and the ICE Office in Dubai. The event will focus on the theme of the connection between wellness and taste, with a focus on environmental sustainability, sustainable cultivation technologies, and innovative agricultural practices: themes in synergy with the cultural and exhibition proposals of Myplant & Garden Middle East.
For more information, visit www.myplantgarden.com
