Getting through immigration
Many nationalities get a visa on arrival or do not need one at all for a short visit. Check your own passport against the UAE government list before you book, because the rules differ a lot by country and they do change.
Smart gates handle a growing share of arrivals with a passport scan and a face check, and where they apply the whole thing takes under a minute.
Terminal 3 is Emirates and flydubai and is the one most conference traffic lands in. It is vast. Give yourself twenty minutes of walking inside the terminal.
Getting to Madinat Jumeirah
The venue sits in Umm Suqeim on the coast, next to Burj Al Arab, roughly thirty to forty minutes from DXB by road outside peak.
Taxis are metered, cheap by international standards and queue in an orderly line outside every terminal. There is an airport surcharge and no haggling.
Careem and Uber both work from the airport, but the taxi rank is usually faster than waiting for a pickup in the car park.
The Metro Red Line runs from Terminals 1 and 3, but it does not reach the venue. You would still be taking a taxi at the other end, so it is only worth it if you are staying near a station.
Before you leave the terminal
Switch your travel eSIM on before you clear customs. You will want a car booked and a hotel address on screen before you walk out into the heat.
There are SIM counters in arrivals and they are more expensive than anything you would have arranged before you flew.
Cash is barely needed, but the ATMs in arrivals are fine if you want some dirhams for a souk.
The conference is two days but the side events run all week. Landing on the Monday buys you the half of the week where deals actually get discussed.
