Dubai will host the world's biggest gathering of entrepreneurs and business leaders in May.

The UAE's first International Entrepreneurship Forum and Exhibition (IEFE), Entrepreneurs in Dubai, will feature some of the biggest names in global business, including international property tycoon Donald Trump, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the man who founded the no-frills Easy Jet airline, The Body Shop initiator Dame Anita Roddick and Sir Chris Evans, Britain's most colourful biotech entrepreneur.

They head up a line-up of global businessmen and women who will address IEFE from May 22 to 25 at Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC).

IEFE is being held by Mohammad Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders and organised in cooperation with IIR Middle East and Young Arab Leaders (YAL).

It is endorsed by the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (Unctad) and oil giant Shell Markets Middle East; business solutions and services consultant Deloitte is headline sponsor.

"This will be the most influential gathering of international entrepreneurs ever seen in this region and will provide the audience with in-depth insights into the challenges facing start-up enterprises and advice on means of solving them and staying in business," said Jessica Sutherland, general manager, IIR Exhibitions and Conferences Middle East.

The event is open to everyone involved in business and aims to promote an entrepreneurial spirit among young GCC national business men and women, spurring them on to set up their own small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs).