Canva Brings World Tour to Middle East to Empower SMEs with Design and AI.
Dubai(News Desk):: Canva is bringing its global World Tour to the Middle East for the first time, with the initiative set to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop creative skills and make greater use of artificial intelligence in their businesses.
The first Middle East stop will take place on 26 October 2026 at Creators HQ in Emirates Towers, Dubai, marking the beginning of a series of Canva events planned across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The event will be free to attend for approved SME applicants and will bring together founders, marketers and business teams for practical learning, interactive product experiences and Canva Design School workshops.
The programme is designed to help SMEs create content, strengthen their brands and communicate more effectively with customers. According to Canva, people in the UAE publish more than 5 million designs on the platform every month, highlighting the growing adoption of the platform in the country.
Ahmad Iqbal, General Manager for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan at Canva, said the company’s focus is on empowering SMEs across MENA with the skills and AI tools needed to turn their ideas into reality.
“Canva World Tour combines our tools and Design School learning with the chance to learn by doing,” Iqbal said, adding that the aim is for business owners and their teams to leave with practical skills and greater confidence in using AI in their daily work.
The programme will feature main-stage sessions, Canva Design School workshops and interactive activations. Topics will include social media content creation, using Canva’s Visual Suite from initial ideas through to finished content, and a case study highlighting how content creator Amr Maskoun uses Canva to produce content at scale.
Participants will also learn how to create reusable brand templates, develop more persuasive presentations and explore website creation using Canva AI and Canva Code.
Canva is also highlighting recent improvements to its AI capabilities. Canva AI 2.0 enables users to develop ideas through conversation, generate editable designs and refine individual elements while maintaining creative control.
Meanwhile, Canva Code 2.0 allows users to create and customise websites and interactive experiences through natural-language prompts. At the Dubai event, attendees will be able to explore how these tools can support business activities such as preparing pitches, developing marketing campaigns and building a digital presence.
Beyond the Dubai event, Canva aims to train more than 3,000 people across the UAE by the end of November 2026 through a combination of in-person workshops and online learning.
Those unable to attend the Dubai event will also have access to free, self-paced English-language courses through Canva Design School, with opportunities to earn certifications online.
The learning resources will remain open to everyone, extending Canva’s training and AI education efforts beyond participants attending the World Tour in person.
