If day three of MIHAS 2026 saw 30,000 visitors recorded with a 50,000 target by the event's end, the final results turned out to far exceed that expectation. According to MATRADE's official post-event press release, MIHAS 2026 closed with a total of 69,104 visitors from 93 countries — up 18,764 visitors, or 37.3 percent, from 50,340 visitors at the 2025 edition, and also the highest participation figure since MIHAS first began in 2004.
This figure reaffirms MIHAS's position as one of the most sought-after halal trade exhibitions in the world. Beyond visitors, the event also brought together exhibitors and INSP buyers from 58 countries — strengthening MIHAS's international reach and appeal as a global halal trade exposition. At this scale, visitors who came to MITEC over the four-day event had access to a diversity of products and business players rarely found in one place at once.
On product diversity, several categories were recorded as the main drivers of exhibition floor sales: processed food and confectionery, food technology and packaging, frozen food, and fertilisers and agrochemicals. This combination of categories reflects just how broad the halal industry's scope is for visitors to encounter — not just ready-to-eat food products, but also the technology and raw materials behind their production chains.
This year's visitor experience was also enriched by the integration of Agentic AI technology, which helped match buyers with exhibitors more personally based on product categories and individual business needs. This technology generated more than 22,000 AI-assisted business appointments throughout the event — a significant leap in how visitors and buyers navigated MIHAS 2026's sprawling exhibition floor, compared to simply wandering from booth to booth at random.
MATRADE CEO Dato' Indera Abu Bakar Yusof described this AI integration as a step in MIHAS evolving into a more connected, digitally enabled trade facilitation ecosystem. "With the integration of Agentic AI, MIHAS is evolving into a more connected and digitally enabled trade facilitation ecosystem, helping Malaysian companies identify potential buyers, build meaningful business relationships and pursue new export opportunities beyond the exhibition floor," he said.
For visitors on the ground, a participation surge of this scale also means one practical thing: more networking opportunities, a wider range of products to compare, and a higher likelihood of finding a trade partner relevant to their needs. MIHAS 2026's scale, approaching 70,000 visitors from nearly a hundred countries, makes it one of the densest meeting points for anyone involved in the global halal industry.
With a final result far exceeding the initial 50,000-visitor target, MATRADE will likely treat the 69,104 figure as a new benchmark for capacity planning at future editions of MIHAS — including considering whether the venue, booth numbers, and other supporting infrastructure need further expansion to accommodate this consistent growth. For visitors who didn't make it this year, this 37.3 percent year-on-year growth trend is a strong signal that future editions are likely to be even busier.
Moslem Journey will continue tracking MIHAS's scale and reach in future editions. Stay tuned for full coverage.
