The MICE Trap

With GIBTM coming up in Abu Dhabi, ATN finds out why agents should attend and offers tips on selling meetings.

With GIBTM set to stage its fourth installment in Abu Dhabi, ATN finds out why agents should attend and offers hints and tips on selling MICE.

The Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) has come a long way since its first installment in 2007.

Staged at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from March 29-31, the event has grown by 56% since its inception and has built a reputation as the largest gathering of meeting industry professionals in the Gulf, all of whom are intent on networking, exchanging ideas and doing business.

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Final numbers are yet to be confirmed for this year’s event but exhibition director Graeme Barnett said the show would be attended by 300 international hosted buyers while exhibitor content continued to grow.

Exhibitor stalwarts coming back for more include the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Egyptian Tourist Authority, Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority, Etihad Airways, the Government of Dubai, Oman Ministry of Tourism and Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, while regulars such as Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and the Jumeirah Group have increased their presence.

Recent signings include Visit London, Dragonfly Africa, Beijing Tourism Administration, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia, Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions, Turkey, Cape Winelands District Municipality, Yas Hotels and Tourism Ireland.

Other exhibiting companies include the Seoul Tourism Organisation, Meet Taiwan, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, the Costa del Sol Convention Bureau, Czech Tourism, the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and Silversea Cruises.

Exhibitor offering
Visit London head of event solutions and UK sales Zanine Adams said she would be showcasing the new London offerings at GIBTM, with phase two of ExCeL due to open as well as several hotels including Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, The Jumeirah Hotel at Beetham Tower in Blackfriars and the Shard of Glass Shangri-La property.

“We will also be sharing information on London’s luxury Michelin-starred restaurants and shopping venues such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, while highlighting the major business objectives and hospitality offerings for London both pre- and post-2012 Olympics,” she said.

Sean Cullen, director of sales and marketing at the Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, said he would be promoting the property as “a fresh alternative destination for the regional MICE market”, while Robin Mcleod, sales and marketing manager at Dragonfly Africa, said he would be extolling the growth potential for ‘concentives’, described as “a combination of conference and incentives, programmes with a corporate social responsibility element and ‘green’ programmes”.

All hotels exhibiting told ATN they had experienced strong growth in MICE sales over the past few years and exhibiting at GIBTM ensured they capitalised on further growth potential in this sector.

Rotana CEO Selim El Zyr cited Egypt as a key market for expansion: “We are forecasting, or in fact working on, increasing the MICE business within the coming two years to 18%,” he said, citing Sharm El Sheikh as an “emerging conference paradise,” he said.

“In Abu Dhabi, the increase will be very significant; up to 14%, which is a growth of over 60%, and this is due to the initiatives taken by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority to promote the destination for MICE.”

He continued: “Hosting important exhibitions such as GIBTM assists hugely in the overall tourism development taking place and plays a major role in nurturing further growth in this sector.”

Newcommers such as Cape Winelands District Municipality are looking to the Middle East as a prospective market and attending GIBTM is a way to analyse its potential.

“There are various conference venues within the Cape Winelands and the focus it to get the market to recognise the strong MICE features of this destination,” said senior marketing officer Bongiwe Nzeku.