There's a running joke in the events world — you fly halfway across the globe, sit through three days of panels, collect a stack of business cards, and fly home. Maybe one or two of those cards turn into something. Maybe none do.

OBS Summit is built on the belief that this model is fundamentally broken.

The pitch: 100 days, not 3 — and not in one city

When the team behind One Business Season first floated the idea of a 100-day business summit, the reactions were predictable. "Too long." "Who has the time?" But the more you sit with the concept, the more it starts to make sense — especially when you realize this isn't confined to a single location.

Running from 15 October 2026 through 22 January 2027, the OBS Summit is a truly global event. Dubai serves as the flagship hub, but the summit extends across multiple host cities worldwide — London, Singapore, New York, Riyadh, Mumbai, and Nairobi are all part of the circuit. Each city hosts dedicated weeks aligned with regional strengths, while a parallel virtual platform connects everyone regardless of geography.

"We looked at how deals actually get done," says the organizing team. "They don't happen over coffee at a networking break. They happen across time zones, over weeks of conversations and follow-ups. We wanted to build an event that mirrors that reality — globally."

A summit that moves with the world

Think of it less as a single conference and more as a season — which is, of course, where the name comes from. The 100 days are broken into thematic and geographic blocks:

  • Dubai & Middle East: Opening weeks focused on energy, real estate, and Islamic finance
  • London & Europe: Fintech, capital markets, and regulatory innovation
  • Singapore & Asia: Technology, manufacturing, and cross-border trade
  • New York & Americas: Venture capital, startups, and media
  • Riyadh & Gulf: Vision 2030, mega-projects, and sovereign investment
  • Mumbai & South Asia: Emerging markets, digital transformation, and talent
  • Nairobi & Africa: Infrastructure, agriculture, and frontier markets

Each hub has its own programming — keynotes, workshops, roundtables, live auctions on the OBS Marketplace — but they're all connected through the digital platform. Attend in person in Singapore one week, join virtually from London the next.

The numbers

The ambition is significant: 50,000+ attendees from 120+ countries, 500+ speakers, and over 1,000 exhibiting companies spread across all host cities. The virtual platform is designed to be more than a livestream — full interactive capabilities, AI-powered matchmaking, and digital deal rooms that work across every time zone.

Who should pay attention

If you're an investor looking for global deal flow, this is interesting. If you're a company trying to expand into new markets — whether that's the Middle East, Southeast Asia, or Sub-Saharan Africa — it's probably essential. And if you're a startup looking for visibility, the multi-city format means you can access investors and partners on multiple continents without the usual conference fatigue.

Early bird registration is open now with a 10% discount. Whether the 100-day, multi-city format works remains to be seen — but the thinking behind it is hard to argue with.