Dubai Fitness Challenge returned for its 10th edition on 31 October 2026 and will run until 29 November, bringing 30 days of fitness, sport and community activities across the city.

Launched in 2017, Dubai 30x30 encourages residents and visitors to complete 30 minutes of physical activity every day for 30 days. The programme includes major sporting events, dedicated Fitness Villages and free community activities across Dubai. The challenge has already seen a strong start, with a record 41,836 cyclists participating in Dubai Ride on 1 November.

For marketers, the challenge presents an opportunity to connect with audiences through campaigns aligned with fitness, wellness and active lifestyles. With major events taking place along Sheikh Zayed Road, where BackLite Media has an extensive portfolio of premium digital and static Out-of-Home locations, strategic placement and campaign timing remain important considerations.

Key Dubai 30x30 2026 Dates for Marketers

Dubai Ride: 1 November 2026

Dubai Ride took place on Sunday, 1 November, attracting a record 41,836 cyclists, the highest participation in the event's history.

The seventh edition saw Sheikh Zayed Road transformed into a cycling route, with participants choosing between a 12 km route along Sheikh Zayed Road and a 4 km family-friendly route through Downtown Dubai.

The 12 km route passed major landmarks, including the Museum of the Future and Dubai Water Canal. With BackLite Media's Landmark Series, Helix Network and premium static billboards positioned on the first line along Sheikh Zayed Road, the event highlighted the importance of strategic locations for brands planning campaigns around cycling, sport and active lifestyles.

Dubai Stand Up Paddle: 7 and 8 November 2026

Taking place at Hatta Dam, Dubai Stand Up Paddle features paddleboarding, kayaking and yoga activities.

The event creates opportunities for sports, wellness and outdoor lifestyle brands to align their messaging with fitness and recreation, supported by wider citywide campaigns that maintain visibility throughout the challenge.

Dubai Run: 22 November 2026

Dubai Run returns with 5 km and 10 km routes starting near the Museum of the Future.

The 5 km route takes participants through Downtown Dubai, while the 10 km route follows Sheikh Zayed Road.

With both routes starting near the Museum of the Future, BackLite Media's advertising presence along Sheikh Zayed Road, including its digital and static locations, provides opportunities for brands planning campaigns around one of the challenge's flagship events.

Dubai Yoga: 29 November 2026

Dubai Yoga closes the challenge with a mass-participation yoga session focused on movement, mindfulness and community.

For health, fitness and lifestyle brands, the event provides an opportunity to reinforce campaign messaging around wellbeing and active living as Dubai 30x30 concludes.

Why Dubai 30x30 Matters for Brands

Throughout the 30-day challenge, fitness becomes part of everyday life across Dubai, with Fitness Villages, community activities and outdoor experiences encouraging participation across different locations.

For sportswear, fitness equipment, nutrition and wellness brands, this period presents an opportunity to strengthen brand awareness and consideration while audiences are engaged with health and fitness.

The opportunity also extends to retail, food and beverage, technology and automotive brands seeking to connect with the city's focus on active lifestyles and community participation.

For marketers, campaign planning should consider the timing of major events, relevant audience interests and the routes connecting Dubai's residential, commercial and retail destinations.

A combination of digital and static Out-of-Home advertising can support this approach by maintaining brand visibility across relevant locations throughout the challenge.

The Role of Out-of-Home During Dubai 30x30

With Dubai Ride and Dubai Run bringing major sporting activity to Sheikh Zayed Road, the corridor becomes an important consideration for brands planning Out-of-Home campaigns during Dubai 30x30.

BackLite Media's presence along Sheikh Zayed Road includes its Landmark Series, Helix Network and premium static billboards, reflecting the importance of this corridor in connecting Dubai's key commercial, residential and retail destinations.

The Landmark Series features The Dubai Gateway, The Triple Crown, The Dubai Jawhara and The Oryx. Complementing these locations, the Helix Network provides digital advertising opportunities along Sheikh Zayed Road, alongside BackLite Media's wider static portfolio.

For sports, fitness, wellness and lifestyle brands, Dubai 30x30 presents an opportunity to align campaign messaging with relevant audience interests, supported by strategic locations and sustained visibility throughout the challenge.

As fitness activities become part of the city's daily routine, Out-of-Home continues to play an important role in connecting brands with audiences across the locations and journeys that shape everyday life in Dubai.

The 2025 World Out of Home Annual Congress will be held in Mexico City from June 4th to 6th. This is the first time the WOO Annual Congress has been held in Latin America and follows the highly successful WOO Annual Congress in Hong Kong, its first visit to Asia, earlier this year over 500 delegates attended.

Helping to host the 2025 event will be ALOOH, the trade body representing Out of Home in the region. ALOOH  was formed in 2018 and both Gabriel Cedrone (ALOOH President) and Guillermo de Lella (ALOOH General Manager) are Vice Presidents on the WOO Board.

WOO President Tom Goddard says: "WOO is the only global media organisation that represents equally all main markets and it's right that we should now go to Latin America, a dynamic, rapidly-growing market in every respect.

"Mexico City is a fantastic venue and our 2025 Annual Congress will be a major stepping stone as we reinforce Out of Home's status as the most progressive and effective non-online global medium."

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The 63rd World Out of Home Organization (WOO) Annual Congress took place in Hong Kong from June 5-7, drawing a record number of 500 participants from 47 countries.

The Thursday morning congress began with Dr. Bernard Chan Pak Li, Under Secretary for Commerce at the Hong Kong Government, welcoming over 500 delegates.

Tom Goddard, President of the World Out of Home, delivered a passionate speech, portraying Hong Kong as a dynamic global stage. He introduced the day's theme, "Growing the OOH Sector," with great enthusiasm that resonated throughout the venue. Goddard sparked excitement by discussing the critical growth factors driving the industry forward, from the essential use of measurement data to the importance of sustainability, automation, collaboration, and networking. He highlighted the industry's breakthrough in surpassing the 5% market share threshold (reaching 5.2%) and questioned whether this signifies sustained growth for OOH. Goddard emphasised the urgency of embracing sustainability and spotlighted Ad Net Zero as a model of responsible media practices. Tom highlighted Abu Dhabi's Multiply Group acquiring BackLite Media, along with Viola Communications and Media 24/7, to build a strong media presence in the UAE. He also thanked Omar Fayed and Jawad Hassan for their support of the World Out of Home Organisation.
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He also emphasised the potential of retail media and urged stakeholders to seize emerging opportunities. The climax of Goddard's address was when he praised the value of global collaboration within the World Out of Home channel, highlighting the strength in unity and the diverse representation of the over 500 delegates from 42 countries.

Here are our key takeaways from the event:

1. Integration with Online Media

WOO President Tom Goddard suggested viewing online media as a companion rather than a competitor, noting that "all the DOOH solutions are on the DSPs planners are used to using daily."

2. Growth of PrDOOH:

Programmatic Digital Out of Home (PrDOOH) is projected to reach 30% of DOOH bookings over the next 18 months. Benjamin Milne highlighted the need for "more data and measurement and simplification through automation to activate bookings."
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3. Embracing Programmatic Strategy:

Each OOH company should develop a programmatic strategy to secure a larger share of the omnichannel market. Sylvain Le Borgne from JCDecaux emphasised, "The specialists were used to OOH. Now we have a new generation of buyers used to online digital, and we need to use their language."
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4. OOH Ad Spend and Automation:

According to the WOO Index, Out-Of-Home (OOH) ad spending reached $41.9 billion in 2023. However, Annie Rickard pointed out that "everyone believes OOH does not get enough share; automating the medium everywhere will help.

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‍5. Free Regulation DOOH Ad Zones in Seoul:

Daewon Kim from Seoul discussed the creation of three "Free Regulation DOOH Ad Zones," which involve dozens of OOH companies rolling out cutting-edge digital screens to transform districts into iconic places to visit. This model is suggested for replication in every major city.

6. Retail Media's Hidden Power:

The congress highlighted the secret superpower of retail media in the outdoor advertising space.
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7. Sustainability:

A new WOO website has been dedicated to this critical subject underscored the urgency of sustainability in the OOH industry. We had the pleasure of hearing from Four speakers on Sustainability at the World Out of Home Organization's Global Congress - on the theme of "The Clock is Ticking"
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Additional Insights:

- Sylvain Le Borgne from JCDecaux discussed the importance of data in the OOH space and confirmed the industry is on the right path to implement data tools and solutions across every step of the campaign.
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- Michael Provenzano from Vistar highlighted the increased activity of cross-border buying in DOOH, which allows brands to activate multiple markets simultaneously via programmatic means.
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- Emma Hegg from Platform Strategy led a panel with Benjamin Milne, Gavin Lee, and Annie Rickard, emphasising the need for automation across all OOH, not just digital. She noted that manual interactions between clients, buyers, and media owners increase the potential for issues and decrease the desirability of investing in the media.
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- Chris Ngan from The Trade Desk showcased how incorporating DOOH into an omnichannel strategy consistently improves digital performance by increasing click-through rates (CTR) and lowering cost per acquisition (CPA).
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- Lindsay Rapacchi from Clear Channel demonstrated how increasing market penetration leads to higher market share and more loyal brand buyers by building reach among light category buyers and leveraging category entry points in consumers' minds.
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The congress was not just an event but a revolution for the OOH industry. Its deep dive into automation, intertwining with online media, and paving the way for sustainable practices promised a dawn of innovation and progress. These two days were insightful and transformative, sparking inspiration within us all.

And adding to the excitement, the news that we'll meet again in Mexico next year to continue this journey was the perfect conclusion.

Our sincerest gratitude extends to Tom Goddard, Anna Maria Pisano, Richard Saturley, Mark Flys, and the entire World Out of Home Organization team. Your dedication crafted an event that wasn't just brilliant and flawless but a beacon of inspiration and community. These events are beyond valuable; they are transformative. You all are indeed the architects of change in our industry.
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🌏 We're setting sail to Hong Kong!

We proudly announce our sponsorship at the prestigious World Out of Home Organization Hong Kong Congress in June 2024. As we navigate the evolving landscape of out-of-home advertising, this event represents an incredible opportunity to engage with global Out-of-Home leaders, share ideas, and showcase our commitment to advancing the industry.We look forward to discovering and shaping the evolving landscape of Out-of-Home media, connecting with industry leaders, innovators, and critical stakeholders shaping the future of out-of-home advertising.

Why Asia this time? The region is a massive global economic force with China vying with the US for biggest economy (and biggest national OOH market) and many of the developments we're seeing in Asia will become the reality for the industry in the rest of the world too, notably the growth of digital OOH and the use of Artificial Intelligence (A!).

At this year's Annual Congress we will look to cover many of the themes impacting on OOH including:

• The impact of AI on many aspects of our businesses
• Sustainability – still the Elephant in the Boardroom, for some
• The growing importance of Retail Media
• Audience Measurement evolution – still front and centre as an issue for OOH
• Making OOH easier to buy with AdTech and how we tap into the omnichannel dollars

These are the forces shaping the global media market in 2024 and beyond and all of them pose formidable challenges for OOH. Retail media, in particular the exponential growth of retailer websites from the likes of Amazon and Walmart, may seem a world away from OOH but it's a phenomenon we have to find a way of competing against and potentially complementing; just as we did, for decades, with television.

All of these will be explored in depth in Hong Kong via a stellar line-up of speakers and panellists from all sides of the media industry and the planet

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Great things happen when technology and Out-of-Home unite!

Prime Video & Amazon Studios's - Citadel Interactive DOOH campaign on our Dubai Festival City network has been shortlisted for the MMA Global Smarties MENA Awards 2024 in the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) category.

The campaign utilised advanced hand detection and gesture recognition technology to track and identify hand movements in real-time dynamically. This feature allowed the campaign artwork to seamlessly transform, resulting in an immersive and interactive experience that delighted visitors.

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Join our team at BackLite Media from April 29 to May 1, 2024, at OAAA’s 2024 OOH Media Conference, the industry’s must-attend annual event, as thought leaders, advertisers, agencies, media owners and creators gather for a unique opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge and stay at the forefront of the rapidly evolving world of out of home.
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The theme for this year, "Our Moment," highlights the significance of unity within our industry during this transformative and momentous era for out of home. It serves as a celebration of collective achievements and a dedication to advancing the growth of our medium through collaborative efforts. Don’t miss what will be the most talked-about event of the year!

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Explore the agenda packed with keynotes, panels, and interactive sessions led by industry leaders. Secure your spot now before tickets sell out: https://oaaa.ooh2024.com