Visiting Big 5 Global 2026 from abroad: travel and business basics

Visas: check official UAE sources

Whether you need a visa, and which one, depends on your nationality and where you live. Rules change, so check the official sources below rather than forums or older articles, and apply well before you travel. Also check the organizer’s travel page for any visitor travel information it publishes for the show.

• u.ae — Check if you need a visa to enter the UAE
• u.ae — Tourist visa
• Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP)
• General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA) — FAQ
• Big 5 Global — plan your visit and travel

This page gives general orientation only and is not immigration advice.

Time zone and scheduling

The UAE uses Gulf Standard Time (UTC+4) all year. All show hours are local time. When you book meetings with colleagues back home, convert carefully; for example, at 10:00 in Dubai in late November it is:

Getting around Dubai

Dubai World Trade Centre is on Sheikh Zayed Road. Use the RTA network map for metro routes and the venue’s campus page for arrival points. Traffic around the show can be heavy at opening and closing time, so allow extra time for the first meeting of the day.

• RTA — metro and tram stations map
• Dubai World Trade Centre — our campus
• u.ae — Visiting and exploring the UAE

Business etiquette at a Gulf trade show

• Greet with a handshake; when meeting someone of the opposite gender, let them offer their hand first.
• Offer and receive business cards with your right hand, and take a moment to read the card.
• Dress in conservative business attire.
• Expect relationship-building before price talk; a first meeting is often about trust, not the order.
• WhatsApp is widely used for business follow-up in the Gulf — ask before you message, and keep messages short and polite.

Language tips: English and Arabic

English is the everyday working language at Big 5, and Arabic matters when you deal with Gulf, Egyptian and other Arab buyers. A few words go a long way:

If you sell to Arabic-speaking markets, bring a bilingual catalogue or share a bilingual company page, and send Arabic follow-ups to Arabic-speaking contacts. The follow-up playbook includes Arabic templates.

Keep international contacts organized

• Save every number with its country code: +971 UAE, +966 Saudi Arabia, +968 Oman, +974 Qatar, +965 Kuwait, +973 Bahrain.
• Scan cards in CardFlow and review the extracted fields, especially names in Arabic or Chinese.
• Note the contact’s preferred language for follow-up.

• How to scan business cards at Big 5
• Follow-up playbook with EN/AR templates

Before you fly