Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone has taken the emirate’s investment pitch to Dubai this week. The RAKEZ AIM Congress appearance runs from 7 to 9 September at the Dubai World Trade Centre, where the free zone is exhibiting inside a dedicated Ras Al Khaimah Pavilion alongside Marjan, RAK Chamber, RAKBANK, RAK Properties and RAK Innovation City. It is a coordinated attempt to put the emirate’s business, property and investment ecosystem in front of international decision-makers as one proposition rather than half a dozen competing ones.
Inside the Ras Al Khaimah Pavilion
The pavilion format is a deliberate choice. Rather than each entity courting investors separately, Ras Al Khaimah is presenting a single front: a free zone for company set-up, a master developer for land and property, a chamber for trade networks, a bank for financing and an innovation district for technology firms. For an investor comparing UAE jurisdictions in a single afternoon on an exhibition floor, that packaging is the whole point.
RAKEZ Group CEO Ramy Jallad tied the pitch to national numbers. “The UAE’s investment momentum speaks for itself,” he said, noting that the country attracted a record AED 177.3 billion in foreign direct investment in 2025, a fourth consecutive record year and ninth place globally for inbound FDI. “This reflects the confidence international investors have in the UAE as a place to establish, expand and compete.”
What RAKEZ Is Offering
Across the three days, the RAKEZ team is walking prospective investors through its range of business set-up options: flexible workspaces and offices at the entry end, and warehouses, industrial facilities and serviced land for manufacturers and logistics operators. Support services covering licensing, visas and ongoing compliance sit alongside the physical product, which is where smaller operators tend to feel the difference between one free zone and another.
The free zone says its community now numbers more than 50,000 active companies, drawn from close to 200 nationalities and operating across more than 50 sectors. Jallad framed the emirate’s offer as a competitive operating environment, strong infrastructure and connectivity, access to regional and international markets, and an ecosystem built to support growth from market entry through to long-term expansion.
The Wider AIM Congress Context
AIM Congress 2026 is the 15th edition of the event, inaugurated on 7 September by His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The congress convenes leaders, policymakers, institutional investors and innovators around new investment pathways, sustainable growth, digital transformation and international partnerships. That gives the Ras Al Khaimah delegation both a home-field advantage on the programme and a very large audience on the floor.
Why a Free Zone Story Matters for Travellers
Business growth and tourism growth are more tightly linked in Ras Al Khaimah than they are in the larger emirates. Company formation drives business travel, which fills hotel rooms midweek and outside the winter peak. It also underpins the commercial case for new flight routes into Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, which in turn makes leisure trips easier and cheaper to book. The emirate’s ambition to triple visitor numbers by 2030 leans on both halves of that equation.
The industrial and logistics side of RAKEZ is also what pays for a good deal of the visible infrastructure, from utilities to the road links that have made the drive north from Dubai as easy as it now is. Anyone making that journey can find the options in our guide to getting from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah.
What This Means for Visitors and Expats
If you are travelling during a major Dubai exhibition week like this one, expect Dubai room rates to spike and Ras Al Khaimah to look comparatively good value for the same drive time. Our round-up of hotels in Ras Al Khaimah covers the beach resorts on Al Marjan Island and Al Hamra as well as quieter options near the corniche and up on Jebel Jais.
For anyone considering a longer stay, the practical groundwork on visas, costs, weather and getting around is set out in our plan your trip section, and there is more on how the emirate stacks up against its neighbour in Ras Al Khaimah vs Dubai.
Source: Business News This Week