{"id":4332,"date":"2026-07-08T10:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T07:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/?p=4332"},"modified":"2026-07-08T10:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T07:01:32","slug":"kezad-group-to-host-touchdown-middle-east-2026-in-abu-dhabi-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/kezad-group-to-host-touchdown-middle-east-2026-in-abu-dhabi-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"KEZAD Group to Host Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_500089899\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-1024x576.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Image-510x287.jpeg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_500089899 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div id=\"gap-1004030958\" class=\"gap-element clearfix\" style=\"display:block; height:auto;\">\n\t\t\n<style>\n#gap-1004030958 {\n  padding-top: 30px;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 110%;\"><u>\u00a0<\/u><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: center;\"><strong>KEZAD Group to Host Touchdown Middle East 2026 <\/strong><strong>in Abu Dhabi for <\/strong><strong>the <\/strong><strong>First Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: center;\"><em>Fourth edition of region<\/em><em>al<\/em><em> data centre conference moves to the UAE<\/em><em>, bringing digital industry <\/em><em>leaders <\/em><em>together<\/em><em> in Abu Dhabi<\/em><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Abu Dhabi, UAE \u2013 08 July 2026<\/strong>: Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi &#8211; KEZAD Group, one of the largest operators of integrated and purpose-built economic zones in the region, will host Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi, marking the first time the region-wide data centre conference will take place in the UAE.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organised by the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA), the fourth edition of Touchdown Middle East 2026 will take place on 18\u201319 November 2026 at Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers. Following three consecutive years in Bahrain, the conference\u2019s move to Abu Dhabi reflects its growing regional footprint and positions the UAE\u2019s capital as its first new host venue.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The conference will attract data centre operators, investors, technology providers, government stakeholders, real estate leaders, energy specialists and digital infrastructure decision-makers from across the Middle East and international markets. The event is expected to attract more than 1,500 visitors, over 400 companies, 70 speakers and participants from more than 30 countries.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Abdullah Al Hameli, CEO, Economic Cities &amp; Free Zones Cluster \u2014 AD Ports Group<\/strong>, said: \u201cHosting Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi reflects the Emirate\u2019s growing role in the digital infrastructure economy. Data centres are now central to industrial growth, AI adoption, cloud services, advanced manufacturing and secure digital trade. At KEZAD Group, we see this conference as a practical platform to connect investors, operators and infrastructure partners with Abu Dhabi\u2019s industrial base, logistics strength and long-term growth environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two-day conference will feature keynote sessions, panel discussions, networking meetings and industry-led conversations on the key issues shaping the sector, including power availability, connectivity, site readiness, regulation, investment, AI demand, cloud growth and sustainable data centre development.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Henry Sutton, Director of the Gulf Data Centre Association and Touchdown Middle East<\/strong>, said: \u201cTouchdown Middle East was created to bring the region\u2019s data centre industry together, with a clear focus on knowledge, partnerships and market growth. After three successful years in Bahrain, bringing the fourth edition to Abu Dhabi is an important step for the event and for the wider regional industry. We are delighted to have KEZAD Group as our main sponsor and we look forward to welcoming leaders from across the data centre value chain to discuss the next phase of digital infrastructure growth in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abu Dhabi is placing digital infrastructure at the centre of its next phase of economic growth, with a clear focus on AI demand, sovereign cloud, hyperscale compute, power planning and industrial land readiness. The Emirate\u2019s Digital Strategy 2025 to 2027 commits AED 13 billion to digital transformation and targets full sovereign cloud adoption for government operations, full automation of government processes and more than 200 AI-led solutions across public services. Abu Dhabi has also moved into large-scale AI compute through Stargate UAE, a planned 1GW compute cluster within the wider 5GW UAE and US AI Campus, with the first 200MW expected to go live in 2026. Together, these steps make Abu Dhabi a strong host for a regional data centre conference focused on the next wave of AI, cloud and digital infrastructure investment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The conference comes at a time when demand for digital infrastructure is rising across the region, driven by AI, cloud computing, data sovereignty, smart industry, enterprise digital services and the growth of high-capacity connectivity. As main sponsor, KEZAD Group will leverage the platform to foster dialogue on how industrial zones, logistics platforms, energy infrastructure and real estate can work together to support the next wave of data centre investment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 END \u2013<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>For media enquiries, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Yasir Saeed Zubairi<\/strong><br \/>\nManager &#8211; Communication,<br \/>\nEconomic Cities &amp; Free Zones,<br \/>\nAD Ports Group<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"mailto:yasir.zubairi@adports.ae\">yasir.zubairi@adports.ae<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>About KEZAD Group:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KEZAD Group, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group under its Economic Cities &amp; Free Zones Cluster, is the largest operator of integrated and purpose-built economic zones in the United Arab Emirates. Providing competitive business ecosystems that encourage unprecedented growth, KEZAD Group is a key strategic enabler of Abu Dhabi\u2019s vision for the diversification of its economy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KEZAD Group\u2019s infrastructure and services span 12 economic zones across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra Region, as well as an industrial and logistics zone in East Port Said, Egypt covering a total area of 570 km2. The Group also provides more than 40 staff accommodation complexes operated by Sdeira Group.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KEZAD Group provides strategic market access, lower operating costs, and ease of doing business to more than 2,300 investors from 17 key industrial sectors. KEZAD Group\u2019s ecosystem provides world-class transportation infrastructure with multimodal connectivity, 100 percent foreign ownership, 100 percent repatriation of capital and profit, the potential for duty-free trade within the region, and advanced technology platforms.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>About Touchdown Middle East &amp; the Gulf Data Centre Association (GDCA):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Touchdown Middle East is the Middle East\u2019s first region-wide data centre conference, established by the GDCA. The GDCA is a trade organisation designed to promote the data centre sector for associated businesses operating in countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Middle East. The GDCA provides a platform for those involved in operating, servicing, or investing in data centres across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to promote growth within the industry and to develop Middle Eastern digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through a regular cadence of events across the region and a series of market intelligence reports for every GDCA data centre market, the GDCA enables members from the public and private sectors to share knowledge, best practices, and market intelligence. The GDCA is supported by its knowledge partner, leading data centre specialist consultancy, TechRE Consulting, and by its sponsors from across the region.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information, please visit <a href=\"https:\/\/touchdownme.com\/en\/\">https:\/\/touchdownme.com\/en\/<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/\">https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/<\/a> and follow us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/touchdown-me\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Neethu Surendran<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commercial Director<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gulf Data Centre Association<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">neethu@gulfdca.com<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; \u00a0 KEZAD Group to Host Touchdown Middle East 2026 in Abu Dhabi for the First Time Fourth edition of regional data centre conference moves to the UAE, bringing digital industry leaders together in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi, UAE \u2013 08 July 2026: Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi &#8211; KEZAD Group, one of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4333,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4332"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4336,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4332\/revisions\/4336"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gulfdca.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}