Event management companies and corporate planners alike are quick to pinpoint the so-called shortage of venues in the UAE as the main issue affecting the meetings industry.

But isn't it time the finger-pointers took a look in the mirror and asked if there isn't something they could do better that would prevent them from facing that situation in the first place?

Ask anyone in the industry and they will tell you that it is "impossible" to find the right venue for their event at short notice.

Planners might have been able to book a meeting space for 50 people a week before the date of the event five years ago, but the UAE is growing fast, and yes, resources are becoming stretched.

But with a little bit of forward planning, which is not really too much to ask from a major international corporation, organisers ought to be able to book their events six or 12 months ahead and prevent the last-minute search for a venue.

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This is not a revolutionary idea; if at the end of an event an organiser is confident that the company will hold the same event the following year and they were happy with the venue, they should be booking that slot there and then.

And if planners put a bit of effort into building relationships with hotel chains rather than insisting that their event take place in whatever venue is the current talking point, they can reap the benefits of a long-term business partnership.

New inventory is coming online, but until it does, planners should stop allocating blame and think of creative - and obvious - solutions to the problems they face.

Joe Mortimer is the editor of Meetings Industry Middle East.