A workshop on the clinical significance of red blood cell alloantibodies, organized by the Executive Committee of the Working Party on Immunohaematology of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 9 September 2016, in conjunction with the 34th International Congress of the ISBT. This event was funded by the ISBT Academy, founded in 2011, to support educational and knowledge activities. This report is a summary of that meeting.