100 years after Silk Road trade bloomed, Sharjah hosts World Trade Centers Association leaders to share AI, innovation and business growth solutions.
SHARJAH — The Emirate of Sharjah recently held the first 2025 World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) Middle East Members Conference, hosted by Expo Centre Sharjah. This milestone event gathered leaders and delegates from each of the region’s 18 World Trade Center businesses, and was a turning point for international trade relations between nations in the Middle East.
Highlights from the 2025 WTCA Middle East Members Conference 
Featuring a series of sessions and discussions, the WTCA Middle East Members Conference, which was hosted by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), was concentrated on deepening coordinating mechanisms and fostering global trade. The template of the conference: To equip the members with more knowledge and best practices and to serve as drivers of business expansion and cross-border cooperation.
One of the top highlights was discussing how we can utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies to make WTCA members and their operations even more efficient. This tech-centric approach is designed to drive top performance among World Trade Centers in the region and to stimulate world class intelligent action in global effort.
Contribution of Sharjah to Exhibition Industry
Hosting the inaugural WTCA Middle East Members Conference is a vindication of Sharjah’s advanced stature in the international exhibitions and conferences industry,’ said CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah Saif Mohammed Al Midfa. Midfa highlights that the Expo Centre Sharjah is committed to consolidating cooperation in the exhibitions industry regionally and globally, and increasing the return of its business and launching initiatives that support sustainability of development.
On the sidelines of the sentiment gauge, Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), showcased Sharjah as destination for investment and shed light on the emirate’s competitive advantages including infrastructure that matches the world and a pro-investment regulatory environment.
The Future of International Trade and Co-operation
Leaders such as Ahmed Tibaoui, General Manager and CEO of WTC Algiers, stressed the value of regional integration in discussions at the event appearing across its programme. Tibaoui added that a collective effort from WTCA constituency members would allow for enhanced efficiency of operations across the exhibitions industry, and achieve a greater impact on long-term sustainable development.
Crystal Edn, Executive Director of WTCA, introduced the world-wide projects WTCA has got involved in for support to World Trade Centers around the world, which will contribute to boosting international trading and global economic contribution.
“We’re ending the WTCA Middle East Members Conference on a positive note: all attendees have united in their commitment to co-create the future of world trade by working together through innovation and employing technology at the right strategic moments.
