Inside Manta Middle East: Doug Emslie and Toby Duckworth on why the region's events ecosystem is ready to scale

The Middle East's events industry is at an inflection point. A new world-class exhibition centre has doubled capacity in Dubai overnight, government backing for business events has never been stronger, and sectors from AI and aerospace to finance and the creative economy are making the UAE a genuine global meeting point.

The next layer of that ecosystem is now emerging: accelerator capital, founder support and the strategic scale-up infrastructure needed to turn promising concepts into repeatable event platforms. That's exactly what Manta Middle East has been created to provide.

We sat down with founders Doug Emslie and Toby Duckworth to hear their vision for the regional platform, including why they believe the timing is right, what the team brings to the founders they back, and what the next chapter of the Middle East's events industry could look like.

What has Manta Middle East been designed to achieve?

Doug: Manta was born out of Toby's vision and an opportunity he identified. Namely, a very underserved market in terms of entrepreneurs being backed, both in terms of capital and the strategic input to help them really go into the next stage of business.

The opportunity in the Middle East came specifically from two conversations with senior Emirati friends in government. We were talking about what I was doing, and they were very interested in the Manta concept. They said there's a huge opportunity to take this to the Middle East and asked if I could bring this accelerator for the events industry there and help support the next generation of independent, entrepreneurial event businesses alongside the major established platforms.

Dubai has seen very strong demand for exhibition space, which has naturally limited the ability of some new concepts and independent organisers to access the right platform for growth. With major new capacity now coming into the market, there is a real opportunity for founder-led platforms, international brands and independent organisers to scale in a way that was more difficult before.

What I'm working on with the government, and therefore with Manta, is to build that entrepreneurial ecosystem alongside the established industry: founders who see opportunities, launch and grow events, and ultimately become interesting to larger organisations. The region has built a phenomenally successful events industry, and the opportunity now is to add that next layer of scalable, independent event businesses on top of it.

What should we expect from Manta Middle East?

Doug: Manta Middle East is going to be slightly different in its approach, because it's going to operate across three distinct strands.

The first is helping people within existing organisations who want to leave and embark on their own entrepreneurial journey. These are brand new launch situations where they need support to make that transition.

The second is working with founders who already have events up and running, but at a small scale (typically in hotels) and who now have the opportunity to scale into the bigger exhibition centres that are coming on stream.

The third strand is international organisers - companies with strong, established brands in Europe or America who want to bring those events to the Middle East. The customer demand is there, but they don't have the operational capability to execute on the ground. We're able to partner with them and provide local expertise and support.

Toby: Those three strands are what make Manta Middle East distinct, and somewhat different to what Manta is doing in other markets. The specialist funding and accelerator model for event entrepreneurs is still emerging in the region, and that's precisely where Manta can add value. Most founders in the Middle East have been self-financing because that kind of dedicated support simply hasn't been available. The model exists in other sectors, like technology, and Manta is now bringing it to events.

How does Manta Middle East differ from other investment options available to the events industry?

Doug: What makes us different from a traditional investor is that capital is only part of what we offer. 

Most investment coming into the events industry right now is private equity focused on acquiring established businesses, consolidating them, and scaling through acquisition. That's not what we do. We're backing entrepreneurs at the early stage, before they're on anyone else's radar, and we're giving them something that money alone can't buy: strategic insight, fractional access to marketing, finance and technology, and critically, government relationships that have taken decades to build.

So where private equity buys what already exists, Manta is building what doesn't yet exist. And, in the Middle East right now, the timing and conditions to do that have never been better.

What is it about the Middle East market that excites you right now?

Toby: The Middle East has fast become one of the world’s key venues. It’s highly connected and accessible with regional powers that are extremely pro-business and pro-events. I think what excites us both is the pace of change and the scale of ambition across the region.

Doug: I’ve been operational in the UAE for nearly 20 years, including organising the Dubai Airshow, so I’ve seen first-hand how events can support industry growth, international engagement and government-led economic priorities. That alignment between public-sector ambition, private-sector opportunity, and global industry demand is one of the region’s greatest strengths. 

Dubai’s expanded exhibition capacity creates room for new launches and international brands, while Abu Dhabi has a clear strategy around priority sectors and long-term economic growth. For Manta Middle East, that creates a strong opportunity to support founders, organisers and event brands that can build meaningful platforms around those growth sectors.

Like every global market, the region is not immune to uncertainty. But the Middle East has consistently shown resilience and the ability to rebuild confidence quickly. That is why we believe the long-term opportunity for events in the region remains very strong.

Where can Manta Middle East add the most value for founders?

Doug: The key thing really goes back to the point about the ecosystem. Founders in the region haven't had access to the venues or the ability to grow events at scale, and that's obviously one of the core opportunities now. Most founders in the Middle East have also been self-financing, so there isn't really a normal financing mechanism to support them. As a result, most of these organisations tend to run their events in hotels and smaller venues and are genuinely limited in their resources.

So having fractional access to marketing, finance and technology is going to be quite key in helping them grow more quickly. But I think the most fundamental gap is government relations - having access and relationships that allow you to move quickly, speak to the right people, and unlock the operational and financial resources that come with that.

And then on top of the government piece, I think where we really add value is the strategic insight of knowing what to do to scale. That's ultimately where Manta makes the biggest difference.

Toby: We’re working closely with the Dubai World Trade Centre to offer incoming organisers some truly unique incentives. By having our own team on the ground with decades of regional event experience, we can help with all the localised administration to get businesses trading quickly.

How would Manta Middle East have benefited you if it had been around earlier in your career?

Doug: I think what's missing in our industry - and this isn't just about the Middle East, it's a broader point - is the lack of an accelerator. As an industry, I think we're in danger of running out of truly entrepreneurial people with good ideas. The big companies keep acquiring them and then tying them in for a period of time, and the reality is that it's not the large organisations that are coming up with creative new events, it's the entrepreneurs. My fear is that we're simply not replacing them fast enough.

So for me, this is really a problem of today rather than of the past.

The consolidation of the industry, the increasing capital coming in from private equity to get bigger and bigger and vacuum up these businesses - as they're being acquired, we're not replacing them. To use an analogy from the pharmaceutical world: you need tomorrow's drugs to be founded today, because today's drugs are going to mature and plateau in growth. You've got to be investing in that pipeline now.

That's what Manta is fulfilling globally, and specifically in the Middle East, where it's also responding to a genuine shift in market dynamics: the growth of the market, the government support, and the new exhibition space that has now come on stream.

Tell me about Manta Middle East's team and the skills you bring to founders.

Doug: I've already touched on my own experience, but I've also recruited three senior people who have all worked with me previously, so we have a very strong and cohesive team on the ground.

The first is Caryn, who was previously COO of our operation in Dubai. As well as the Dubai Airshow, we had 12 shows in total, so she's hugely experienced operationally across the region - both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - with all of the logistical and administrative expertise that comes from executing a wide range of events, from smaller shows right through to some of the biggest in the region.

Then there's Sanjay, my former Marketing Director, who was born in Dubai and has spent his whole life there. He has experience as Marketing Director at Tarsus and also worked at the Dubai World Trade Centre on GITEX, the biggest technology show in the region. His real strength is bringing in international audiences.

The third person is Nandini, who was my Commercial Director at Tarsus. She managed relationships with all of the major customers, but her real skill set is in government relations. Government entities are typically big sponsors and supporters of shows in the region, and she has a deep understanding of how to develop those relationships on a long-term basis - knowing who to talk to and where to go. That's commercially really important in building out the organisation.

Are you working with any regional partners?

Doug: Beyond the core team, we are working with several partners, though we haven't made any announcements yet, so I don't want to say too much at this stage. There are three or four key stakeholders that we're working with, and we'll be announcing those over the summer in due course. These relationships do take a little time to come together properly, and we don't want to rush them, but they're progressing well and we're excited to share more when the time is right.

What are you looking for from founders who apply?

Toby: Primarily, we’re looking for sector-agnostic entrepreneurial organisers who are ready to bring their concept to the Middle East. We're looking for an event that's operating in a market where there's a genuine opportunity to scale - it can't be in a niche so small that it's already reached its optimal size.

Doug: There has to be a clear path of growth, and it needs to be a long-term growth market rather than something that's a passing fad.

But fundamentally, for me, it comes down to the person. It's about their drive, their ability to execute, and their ability to work in partnership. That is the number one thing: having the right human qualities that can be developed and channelled into building something of real scale and significance.

Manta Middle East is now open to conversations with founders, organisers and international event owners exploring opportunities across the UAE and wider Middle East. Take two minutes to get in touch today.