CX Live's The Experience Show Middle East 2026 Highlights New Phase of CX Transformation as AI Reshapes the Tech Stack
Oct 1, 2026
The Experience Show Middle East Intelligence Report 2026 finds 76% of organisations investing in AI-powered CX. AI transformation and automation is the top contact challenge (64%), followed by real-time analytics, compliance and quality (48%).
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Oct 1, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Customer experience transformation across the Middle East is entering a new phase, with organizations increasingly looking beyond individual AI tools and towards reshaping the technology infrastructure that underpins customer journeys, contact operations and service delivery.
This shift was highlighted at the ninth annual edition of The Experience Show Middle East 2026, held on 30 September-1 October at the JW Marriott Hotel Dubai Marina, where findings from the The Experience Show Middle East Intelligence Report 2026 revealed the scale and direction of technology investment taking place across the region.
The report found that 76% of organizations are upgrading their existing technology stacks with AI-powered customer experience capabilities, making it the most prominent area of planned investment. While Agentic AI follows closely, with 62% of organizations identifying it as an area of technology investment, chat and voice bots were cited by 38%, and 37% are reportedly upgrading contact center and Support technologies.
Rather than treating AI as a standalone layer, organizations are increasingly connecting it to the wider architecture of customer experience. 63% are using AI copilots and Agentic AI, while 53% are leveraging Voice of Customer analytics. Customer journey orchestration is being used by 47% of organizations, and 42% are adopting automation and workflow orchestration.
The transformation is particularly pronounced within customer contact. AI transformation and automation were identified as the biggest challenge facing customer contact by 64% of organizations, highlighting the operational scale of the shift. At the same time, 48% cited real-time analytics, compliance and quality management as key challenges, while 44% pointed to fragmented technology stacks. Omnichannel operations remain another significant issue, cited by 47% of organizations.
Behind these operational pressures sits a broader question around how organizations can translate technology investment into measurable customer and business value. Proving ROI and business impact is a priority for 58% of organizations, while 57% are grappling with how to use AI without damaging customer trust or service quality. A further 51% cite the complexity of managing journeys across digital and human touchpoints, while 48% are focused on moving from reactive support towards more proactive experience management.
"What we are seeing in the Middle East is a shift from adding new CX technologies to reconsidering how the entire technology ecosystem works together," said Ayusha Tyagi, Managing Director, Customer Experience Live. "AI, automation, journey orchestration, Voice of customer, and contact center technologies are increasingly interconnected. The opportunity for organizations is to build an ecosystem where these capabilities work together rather than creating another layer of complexity."
The Experience Show Middle East brought together senior leaders from leading organizations like First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Emirates, Allianz, Aster DM Healthcare, ADNOC, Petroleum Development of Oman, AviLease, DP World, Talabat, Al-Futtaim, AW Rostamani, Samsung Electronics MENA, Schneider Electric, Unilever Gulf, DMCC, and Expo City Dubai. Across the two-day event, discussions focused on the practical transformation of customer operations--from deploying Agentic AI and intelligent automation to connecting customer data, orchestrating journeys, modernizing contact centers, and balancing intelligent technologies with human interaction.
The event also recognized the remarkable achievements of individuals and organizations that continue to raise the bar for CX through the Customer Experience Live Awards Middle East 2026. This year's winners included ALTANFEETHI, SESTEK, Ajman Bank, BEEAH, Mashreq, Aldar Properties PJSC, Department of Ports & Customs - Ajman, Dubai Taxi Company PJSC, Bank Muscat, TASLEEM METERING & PAYMENT COLLECTION, Dubai National Insurance (DNI), Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), stc, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai, Medcare Hospitals & Medical Centre, Sobha Modular Ind LLC OPC-Facades Division, and Amira AI-Almost Human.
The conference was supported by leading sponsors including SESTEK, CX Experts, Zendesk, Rezolve Ai, Toku, Optimizely, CommBox, XEBO.ai, Apifonica, Locobuzz, Polynome, Kaizen Institute, Amira AI - almost human, QuestionPro, Diabolocom, UXCam, ConVox, and ScoreMachine.ai. The Contact Centre Helper partnered as the Official Media Partner, while the Customer Institute and BPO Search joined as Strategic Partners. Additional media partners included ACN Newswire, CrmXchange, and StartupNews. fyi, CIOReview, AI Tools Network, Financial Service Review, Conference Alerts, Applied Technology Review, CIO Outlook, APAC CIO Outlook, AIPressRoom, Times of AI, CryptoNewsZ, NameCoinNews, CryptoMoonPress, CoinNewsSpan, TimesOfBlockchain, CapitalBay News, World Oils, AllConfsBot, and Knowledge Networks.
To download The Experience Show Middle East Intelligence Report 2026 or learn more about the event, visit: www.customer-experience.live
About Customer Experience Live
Customer Experience Live is a leading digital customer experience insights and research powerhouse in the EMEA and APAC regions. Committed to driving growth within organizations through rigorous research and insightful activations, the company plays a pivotal role in facilitating successful business ventures and fostering innovation in customer experience solutions. With a focus on understanding end-user needs and market dynamics, Customer Experience Live empowers top-level executives and solution providers to navigate the ever-changing landscape of customer experience.
For more information, please contact
Riji Raju, Content and Marketing Lead, Customer Experience Live
Email: [email protected]
Source :Customer Experience Live www.customer-experience.live
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
More News
Oklahoma Families Faced the Hottest Summer Ever and an Electricity Crisis
Record heat and a rising demand for electricity are closing in on Oklahoma families trying to keep the lights on and the AC running.
Sri Lankan writer Nifraz Rifaz’s debut novel confronts Islamophobia after Easter bombings
On September 22, after a five-year trial, 15 men from Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community were convicted and sentenced to 200 to 260 years in prison each for their involvement in the 2019 Easter bombings. The coordinated suicide attacks on luxury hotels and Christian places of worship on April 21, 2019, remain one of the deadliest terror incidents in the island nation’s history, claiming more than 250 lives. While the devastation and subsequent investigations were covered widely in the global...
Gleaning group gives £1m of produce to food banks
Gleaning Cornwall warns that more funding is needed as costs rise sharply.
Planning A Long Trip? Here Are 51 Products That May Come In Handy
Lucky you! Now let's get you packed and ready. View Entire Post ›
What is the Budget and what could be in it?
Chancellor John Healey will set out his plans for UK taxes on 28 October.
If You’re A Bit Of A Chaos Traveler, You Need These 34 Products More Than Anyone
Come here, fellow walking messes. It's time to invest in a slim wallet tracker and some shoe bags for your dirty sneaks. View Entire Post ›
3 Charts That Explain the Economy as Voters Head to the Polls
Inflation is high, consumer spending is strong and seemingly everything depends on what happens with artificial intelligence.
United’s C.E.O. Says It Should Cost More Not to Sit in the Middle Seat
Scott Kirby of United Airlines said that “it’s expensive to fly airplanes” and that airfares may have further to rise.
With Michelin’s Green Star gone, Hong Kong seeks to redefine sustainable dining
David Toutain witnessed the birth of the Michelin Green Star in 2020. His eponymous restaurant in Paris was among the first to be awarded while Feuille, his Hong Kong outpost, secured one within a year of its 2023 opening. But even when Michelin quietly retired the award this year, he still never understood exactly how it was assessed. “I have no idea,” he says. “I don’t know the rules. I don’t know anything about it, to be very honest.” His confusion points to a larger problem. The Green Star...
‘Hong Kong would be impossible.’ Why the newest Fotografiska photo museum is in Shenzhen
Contemporary photography museum Fotografiska’s newest outpost in Shenzhen is strikingly different from its original venue in Stockholm, Sweden – in the former customs building on the Stadsgardshamnen waterfront – or its Shanghai location, which opened in 2023 inside the Guang San Warehouse. In Shenzhen, a technological metropolis where sleek high-rises and futuristic cultural venues continue to emerge, the museum integrates into the modern urban landscape with a crisp white rectangular facade...
Turning the tides: Could hidden sea power energise our coastal towns?
Engineer David Mummery has developed a tidal energy generator that he says can change lives for people living in coastal communities.
'I took a chance on the whisky industry and I haven't looked back'
Zoey Darnbrough had no idea there was a distillery near her home - now she has a top tourism role there.
YOUR NEWS, OUR NETWORK.
Do you have Great News you want to tell the world?
Be it updates about your business or your community, you can make sure that it’s heard by submitting your story to our network reaching hundreds of news sites across 6 verticals.