Italian organiser IEG’s Myplant & Garden trade show is expanding with the launch of Myplant & Garden Middle East, which will become the first Italian B2B green industry exhibition in Dubai when it runs 15-17 November 2025.
It will also be the only event dedicated to the ornamental green industry in the Middle East.
IEG Middle East offices will organise the exhibition which, they say, will aim to tap into new commercial channels and enter a market with growing potential.
“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.”
Peraboni added that the choice of Dubai also aligns with the path already established with IEG’s 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,” Peraboni said. “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 2023, the Gulf Co-operation Council countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, imported about $390m worth of plant material. The UAE, with $145m, and Saudi Arabia, with $130m, lead the ranking, and IEG says the sentiment is positive for the coming years.
Myplant & Garden Middle East will also be the only event in the region dedicated to the ornamental green industry supply chain, from production to landscape design.
Dubai's focus on greenery is part of a strategic development vision, and there are eight protected areas covering 31% of its territory.
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), would seem to offer ample opportunities for the entry of horticultural products and services.
The UAE's floricultural import in 2023 settled at $145m, up from $79m in 2020, with The Netherlands the leading trade partner (28% of imports), followed by Kenya (22%). Ecuador (8%) and China (7%) vie for third place, with 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 $1m (equivalent to 0.8% of the UAE's floricultural imports). The new show could very well change that.
