Dubai reaffirms its position as a leading business destination

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

As the city gears up for 2020, a year in which it will begin hosting its largest ever event – a World Expo – Dubai is this week showcasing its diverse business events offerings and capabilities to meetings industry professionals at IBTM World in Barcelona. Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, is once again leading Dubai’s strong presence at the trade show, being held from Nov.19-21, joined by key partners and stakeholders as they collectively continue to grow the city’s business events sector, a key contributor to tourism and the wider economy.

Taking place at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, IBTM World has welcomed over 13,000 industry professionals, providing a business platform to promote Dubai’s qualities as host city for meetings, conferences and corporate incentive travel programmes during one of the largest and most significant trade events globally. DBE’s participation in the 2019 edition is aimed at further strengthening relationships with key decision makers and influencers, and discuss how the bureau can support international business events taking place in Dubai.

In addition to driving further visitation to the city, the business events industry highlights Dubai’s position as a global knowledge hub, with associations and organisations from around the world able to tap into and feed into its culture of collaboration and innovation.

Among the co-exhibitors joining DBE at IBTM World are Expo 2020 Dubai – showcasing the opportunities for meeting planners to host their events at the site or include visits into their itineraries – as well as 20 other key partners and co-exhibitors including Jumeirah Group, Dubai World Trade Centre and Nakheel, presenting the city’s world-class infrastructure and event capabilities across a variety of industries including hospitality, attractions and venues. New and upcoming developments being highlighted by DBE and stakeholders include the vibrant new Al Shindagha Museum, which allows visitors to explore Dubai’s rich past, and The View at The Palm, a new observation deck towering 240 metres above Palm Jumeirah, as well as new hotels including Paramount Hotel Dubai and Sofitel Dubai Wafi.

Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Our robust presence at IBTM World, along with valued stakeholders and partners from across the city, is testament to the level of importance we place on promoting the city’s business events offering, and the crucial role this segment plays in our wider tourism strategy. As we look ahead to a monumental year for the city, DBE will continue to engage with business events professionals from around the globe to highlight the city’s capabilities in hosting business events of all sizes, and to put the spotlight on opportunities for knowledge sharing.”

Major business events on the horizon for Dubai include Amway APAC Expo 2019 and the MDRT Global Conference 2020, each expected to attract approximately 10,000 delegates, as well as the International Astronautical Congress 2020, the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2020 and the World Congress of Gastroenterology 2021. Additionally, the city is set to host the second edition of the Dubai Associations Conference (DAC) across two days during December at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), bringing together industry experts from around the world in order to create a positive social impact by building the association community in the region.

Steen Jakobsen, Assistant Vice President, Dubai Business Events, said: “With multiple prestigious events in the pipeline, Dubai continuous to inspire meeting planners to bring their events to the city. During the third quarter of 2019, DBE successfully secured 82 international meetings, conferences and incentive travel groups to take place in Dubai. These outstanding results are a testament to the combined efforts from DBE offices around the world and Dubai’s stakeholders to position the city as a knowledge hub and by showcasing Dubai’s diversified offerings and state-of-the-art venues.”

Dubai Business Events (DBE) – 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.