Arabian Travel Market 2026 once again demonstrated that today’s travel exhibitions are about far more than business meetings. Architecture, storytelling, technology and visitor experience have become essential elements of how brands and destinations communicate their identity. During this year’s edition at Dubai World Trade Centre, six exhibitors were recognised in the ATM 2026 Best Stand Awards.
The awards looked beyond visual impact alone. An independent panel of industry experts assessed creativity, business functionality, visitor engagement and the use of technology. Among this year’s winners were the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Rove Hotels, Agilysys, Marriott, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and HBX Group.
Dubai: Design That Works for Business
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) received the Best Stand Design Award in the over 150sqm category.
Judges highlighted both the scale of the stand and its ability to accommodate a high volume of meetings and business activity while maintaining a welcoming visitor experience. Its carefully considered three-tier design created distinct areas for engagement and meetings, combining strong visual impact with practical functionality.
The result demonstrated an increasingly important principle in exhibition design: aesthetics alone are no longer enough. Successful spaces must also facilitate communication, networking and meaningful business interaction.
Rove Hotels: Bringing Brand Personality into the Space
Rove Hotels won the Best Stand Design Award in the 50sqm–150sqm category.
The judges praised its bold and playful concept as well as its attention to detail. The stand successfully translated the personality of the Rove Hotels brand onto the exhibition floor, using distinctive design elements to differentiate its residential offering from a traditional hotel environment.
The team itself also became part of the experience. Judges noted its energy and engagement, with quirky television-inspired costumes adding another memorable and characterful dimension to the presentation.
Small Space, Strong Impact
In the category for stands under 50sqm, the award went to Agilysys.
Despite its relatively compact footprint, the stand attracted attention through contemporary design and intelligent use of space. Its unconventional appearance created a strong visual presence on the exhibition floor, demonstrating how thoughtful design can maximise even a limited area.
It was a reminder that impact is not necessarily determined by scale. Creativity and clarity of concept can be equally powerful.
Marriott: Hospitality Designed for Conversation
Marriott was named Best Stand for Doing Business, with judges recognising the way the international hospitality group recreated the atmosphere and functionality of its hotel lobbies and guest spaces.
A carefully planned layout provided a welcoming setting for meetings and conversations, illustrating how hospitality-led design can successfully translate into the fast-paced environment of a major international exhibition.
Rather than simply presenting the brand, Marriott created an environment in which visitors could experience elements of its hospitality philosophy directly.
Abu Dhabi: Where Technology Meets Cultural Heritage
One of the most compelling concepts of this year’s awards came from the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, which received the Best Stand Feature Award.
Its presentation combined immersive technology, cultural design and Emirati craftsmanship. One of the key attractions was an interactive dune buggy activation featuring an integrated screen experience that offered visitors a taste of dune bashing in Abu Dhabi.
The wider design drew inspiration from the emirate’s internationally recognised museums and architectural landmarks, while traditional crafts and artistic demonstrations introduced elements of Emirati heritage into the contemporary exhibition environment.
The concept reflected an increasingly significant direction in contemporary design: technology does not need to replace cultural heritage — it can become a powerful new medium through which heritage is experienced and understood.
HBX Group: Technology as Part of the Architecture
Within ATM Travel Tech, HBX Group received the Best Use of Technology Award.
Its highly visual stand integrated technology throughout the design. Judges highlighted the effective use of space and distinctive suspended features, bringing together creativity, innovation and technology to establish a strong presence on the ATM exhibition floor.
Here, technology was not treated simply as an additional attraction. It became part of the overall visual and spatial language of the stand.
Travel 2040: Looking Towards the Future
Arabian Travel Market 2026 was held under the theme “Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology,” exploring how innovation, emerging technologies and new ideas are reshaping the future of travel and creating new opportunities across the industry.
That vision was particularly visible within ATM Travel Tech, the co-located event dedicated to technologies expected to transform global travel by 2040.
According to the event materials, ATM Travel Tech featured more than 180 exhibitors from 30 countries across two dedicated halls. Its 850sqm Tech & Innovation Hub showcased immersive demonstrations involving artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, fintech and green technologies.
The Exhibition Stand as a Brand Experience
The ATM 2026 Best Stand Awards reveal a broader transformation taking place across international exhibitions.
The most successful stands are no longer simply temporary structures displaying logos, products and promotional materials. Increasingly, they function as carefully designed brand environments — places where architecture, technology, storytelling, culture and human interaction converge.
From Dubai’s business-focused spatial design and Rove Hotels’ playful identity to Abu Dhabi’s combination of advanced technology and Emirati craftsmanship, this year’s winners demonstrated different approaches to the same challenge: how to transform physical space into a memorable experience.
At Arabian Travel Market 2026, the future of travel was therefore not only discussed during panels and business meetings.
It could also be seen and experienced — through architecture, technology, craftsmanship and design that allowed visitors not simply to observe a brand, but to step inside its story.
2026.09.19 Stockholm
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