Dubai Business Events wins 97 event bids in H1 2017
Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, has reported strong results for the first half of 2017, with events expected to benefit the economy by approximately AED 375 million (US$102 million).
With 97 bids submitted to host business events being successfully awarded to the city, the events secured since January, including conferences, exhibitions, meetings and incentive trips, are poised to attract over 51,636 delegates from around the world.
“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,” said Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing CEO Issam Kazim.
In the first six months of 2017, 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 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 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.
DBE director Steen Jakobsen 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.”
DBE’s Al Safeer Ambassador Programme has contributed significantly to the city’s successful bids for international events. The programme features a network of 300 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 build on its participation in trade shows with a 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 the Union of International Associations (UIA) in its latest edition of the International Meetings Statistics Report published last month. The city was previously ranked 14th in the 2015 edition, and moved up the list with a total of 180 meetings taking place in 2016.