In 2015, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohammad Al Gergawi, chairman of the summit's organizing committee and minister of the UAE Cabinet Affairs & The Future announced ten key changes to take the summit to a new global level.

In 2013, themes included building citizen trust in governmental entities, social media as a tool for civic engagement, private-public sector partnerships, and measuring development.

The summit was held under the patronage of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, and included participation of seven international organizations as strategic partners, including the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, UNESCO, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Economic Forum.

In 2016, the Museum of the Future's displays included an installment about a trip to the year 2035 where it showcased how technology could evolve and be used to manage complex social end economic systems.

[50] In 2017, the museum included a display with an air taxi, 3-D printed seeds and food, and an announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to colonize Mars by 2117.

[54] It was convened by the UAE Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi.

[55] Speakers at the first summit included editors of the World Happiness Report, Jeffrey Sachs, John F. Helliwell, and Richard Layard, positive psychologists Edward Diener, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Martin Seligman, and policy makers including the Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay, Head of the UN Development Programme Helen Clark, Bhutanese Gross National Happiness official Karma Ura.

In 2018, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum convened six nations, the United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Portugal, Slovenia, Mexico, and Kazakhstan to establish the Global Happiness Coalition, an agreement to cooperate on an international level to bring happiness to the forefront for government.