Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of Dubai corporation for tourism and commerce marketing, said: “Dubai has grown tremendously to become a leading destination for international business events. We recognise the significance of the business events industry, and acknowledge the various growth facets each event brings to the city. Not only do they accelerate our journey towards becoming a knowledge-sharing economy, but business events are also major contributors towards our goal of welcoming 20 million visitors each year by 2020.”
In the first six months, Dubai Business Events won a total of 97 pitches to host business events in the city, and is currently awaiting verdict on 97 more that have been submitted. Key wins include: Baby Care Annual Incentive (2018), World Conference on Desalination and Water Re-Use (2019), and Congress of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (2022).
Dubai Business Events has also ramped up efforts to highlight the city’s business events offering to international audiences. DBE representatives have attended over 50 trade events in the first half of the year, interacting with over 4,500 business events buyers and planners. The bureau has also facilitated a total of 16 site inspections with 38 clients, and hosted 144 buyers from around the world as part of four in-depth Dubai study missions.
Steen Jakobsen, director of Dubai business events, said: “We’ve had a stellar start to the year, and are well on our way to achieving our targets set for 2017. As we continue to work towards further strengthening Dubai’s reputation of being a premier host destination for business events, we have a steady pipeline of initiatives planned for the year ahead. We are also focusing on expanding our network and reach globally, enabling businesses, event buyers and planners to benefit from our expertise.”
Dubai Business Event’s Al Safeer Ambassador Programme has also contributed significantly to the city’s success in bidding for international events. The programme features a network of 300 prominent experts from diverse sectors, including academia, finance, and healthcare, who are based in Dubai. Since January, the programme contributed to securing a total of 11 business events for the city.
Further study missions in 2017 will come from India, China, the Americas and Southeast Asia, while DBE will also build on its participation in major trade shows with a significant presence at IMEX America in Las Vegas and IBTM World in Barcelona towards the end of the year.
Recently, Dubai was named as one of the top 10 destinations for international meetings by Union of International Associations in its latest edition of the International Meetings Statistics Report published last month. The city previously ranked 14th in the 2015 edition, and moved up the list with a total of 180 meetings taking place in 2016.
Dubai Business Events, the Official Convention Bureau, aims to further develop and increase Dubai’s share of the international business events market in order to grow economic development, jobs and knowledge creation in the emirate. DBE’s main goal, as a division of Dubai Tourism, is to establish the Emirate as a premier business event destination by helping organizers of international meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions plan and manage every aspect of their event. As a member of BestCities Global Alliance DBE aim to deliver the world’s best service experience for the meeting industry.
With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai Tourism’s mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate. Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector, and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Business Events, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). For more info, visit www.dubaitourism.ae
