Apply to speak at a business conference in Dubai

Share your experience with the right room

The opportunity to apply to speak at a business conference of this calibre does not come along often. The World Entrepreneur & Investor Summit takes place on 19 November 2026 at the Millennium Airport Hotel in Dubai, bringing together more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and senior decision-makers across 20+ industries. If you have led, funded, scaled, or transformed a business — and you can talk about it honestly — the stage is open to your application.

We build the programme around substance. That means we look for speakers who offer specifics rather than slogans: the real numbers behind a growth story, the mistakes that taught the most, the frameworks that actually held up under pressure. Our call for speakers welcomes voices from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and international markets, reflecting the cross-border character of the audience.

Applying is straightforward. Tell us who you are, what you would like to talk about, and why it matters to this audience. The programme team reviews every submission. To be clear from the outset: applying does not guarantee a slot — selection depends on fit and available space on the agenda. What we promise is a fair review and a genuine opportunity.

Why speak

Speaking at the summit is one of the most efficient ways to be seen by the people who matter to your business. Because this is a business-only event — student registrations are not accepted — you address a room of decision-makers with real intent. A strong keynote or panel appearance builds your credibility, expands your professional network, and frequently leads to the kind of conversations that are hard to start any other way: partnership discussions, investment introductions, and collaboration across sectors and regions.

Just as importantly, speaking is a way to give back to a community of founders and leaders who benefit from candid, experience-led guidance. The insight you share may be exactly what another founder needs to avoid a costly mistake or make a better decision.

There is also a compounding effect worth noting. A single strong session tends to travel — attendees reference it in conversation, quote it afterwards, and remember the person behind it. In a market where attention is scarce and trust is hard to earn, a thoughtful contribution to a respected stage can do more for your standing than months of conventional promotion. That reputation carries into every room you enter next, from investor meetings to partnership talks.

Session formats

We are flexible on format and match it to the strength of your material and the flow of the day. Keynotes suit a single, well-developed idea delivered with conviction to the full room. Panels work well when a topic benefits from contrasting viewpoints and moderated debate. Roundtables and fireside conversations create a more intimate, candid setting for lessons that are best told as stories. When you apply, you are welcome to indicate a preferred format, but the programme team will confirm the final shape based on how your session fits alongside the rest of the agenda.

Topics welcomed

We are open to proposals across the entrepreneurial and investment journey. Sessions that tend to resonate include:

• Scaling and growth — moving from early traction to sustainable, repeatable expansion.
• Funding and investment — funding readiness, valuation, and communicating with investors.
• Finance and profitability — cash flow, unit economics, and financial discipline during growth.
• Sales and partnerships — building customer growth engines and strategic partnerships.
• Brand and marketing — earning trust and differentiation in competitive markets.
• Technology and AI — practical application of automation and emerging tools.
• International expansion — entering Middle East, Europe, and Asian markets.
• Leadership and transformation — teams, culture, succession, and navigating change.

If your expertise sits slightly outside these themes but would add real value, we still want to hear from you. Explore the agenda to understand the flow of the day and where your session might fit.

Speaker eligibility

To keep the programme relevant and credible, we look for applicants who meet the following broad criteria:

• Demonstrable experience as an entrepreneur, investor, or senior business leader.
• A topic that offers practical, honest value to an experienced, business-only audience.
• A willingness to share real insight rather than deliver a sales pitch.
• Comfort presenting to, and taking questions from, a senior international audience.

Please note that this is a professional event for business leaders; it is not open to students as attendees or presenters. We say this respectfully — the format is simply designed for a different stage of the journey.

Selection process

Here is how applications move through review: