Dubai plays big role in sustained rebound of global business events

Sajjad Ahmad, Gulf Today

Leaders from across the regional and international exhibition sector have gathered in Dubai for the UFI MEA Conference, taking advantage of the opportunity to see how the city has led the way globally in restarting business events in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference, the first fully in-person event for UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, since the onset of the global pandemic, was hosted recently at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The city’s well-established precautionary protocols and preventive measures enabled all participants and delegates to attend the event in a safe environment. The one-day event was attended by 150 attendees from 10 countries, with Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Tourism and Dubai World Trade Centre Authority and Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director and CEO of UFI, delivering welcome addresses.

The UFI MEA Conference brings together leading players from the Middle East and Africa region and beyond, to network, exchange ideas and forge new partnerships.

Helal Saeed Almarri said that Dubai continues to take proactive initiatives to accelerate the momentum of recovery in the MICE sector by not only creating an environment marked by high health and safety standards for the organisation of in-person global events, but also working closely with industry stakeholders to create new platforms for knowledge exchange and networking across sectors.

Dubai’s initiatives are playing an instrumental role in laying the groundwork for a sustained rebound in the global business events sector, he said.

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Driven by the city’s strong, decisive leadership and prudent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai has led the way internationally in safely restarting exhibitions, trade shows and other business events, which play a vital role in economic and knowledge development locally. Just as we worked with local and international stakeholders to ensure the city was well-placed to resume events, we are committed to working with the wider industry to share knowledge and learnings.”

“Hosting the UFI MEA conference has enabled us to engage with key leaders from the global business events community and provide a platform for its continued rebound. We are keen to support the sector worldwide, and welcome organisers to get their event plans back on track by moving their events to the safe environment of Dubai.”

Naji El Haddad, Regional Director for the Middle East & Africa region at UFI, said: “UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is delighted to hold its first post-pandemic in-person event here in Dubai, UAE, one of the first cities that restarted business events. The conference is a clear manifestation of the industry’s resilience and determination to thrive despite the current circumstances.”

“The success of today’s event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our host, Dubai World Trade Centre and our destination partner, Dubai Tourism. Special thanks to all our sponsors, speakers and delegates for their contribution and participation.”

The event was the latest in a series of important shows and conferences taking place in the city over recent months, following on from Gitex Technology week, Gulfood and Arabian Travel Market, Gulfood. Over the coming months, Dubai will continue to host major events including Arab Health and The Hotel Show, as momentum builds towards Expo 2020 Dubai.

UFI is the leading global association of the world’s tradeshow organisers and exhibition centre operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations, and selected partners of the exhibition industry.

UFI’s main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. UFI directly represents around 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally, and also works closely with its 60 national and regional associations members.

796 member organisations in 85 countries and regions around the world are presently signed up as members.

More than 924 UFI approved (International) events proudly bear the UFI approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike. UFI members continue to provide the international business community with a unique marketing media aimed at developing outstanding face-to-face business opportunities.