UAE gears itself up to be centre of global events

The UAE, which is already seen as the Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) hub of the region, is now ready to promote global events here and take the sector to greater heights, say experts in the business. Elisabeth Brehl, Managing Director, Epoc Messe Frankfurt, which holds major events such as Intersec, Beauty World and Toy Fair, among others in the country, told Emirates Business: "Dubai has already emerged as the definitive Mice hub of the Middle East. "Not only that, it is still growing and presenting several new opportunities to the industry. The international demand is huge, and initiatives are already being undertaken, as we speak, to meet these needs," she said. "Dubai's bid for Olymic 2020 and World Expo, Abu Dhabi's recent win with Irena – all are shining examples of the continued work which is being done to promote global events here. It is phenomenal that such advancements are being made amid an international economic downturn. "Validating Dubai's position as the most important exhibition hub in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) is the figurative value placed on it's leadership in this sector. According to UFI, the global association of the events industry, the Mice sector in the Mena region is valued at Dh12 billion a year and is set to grow more in 2009. The Mice industry, including DWTC, continues to work towards increasing its target of one to 1.5 per cent contribution to Dubai's GDP, on par with global benchmarks such as Singapore and Hong Kong. "Another factor which encourages Dubai's standing as a leading international hub for the Mice industry is that it's a very safe place to be in. The emirate is considered as one of the safest places in the world by Interpol. Dubai is very cosmopolitan and safe – an ideal combination for not making tourists feel foreign here, and to initiate international business negotiations." Louisa Theobald, Group Exhibitions Director, Streamline Marketing Group, which is responsible for holding events such as FM Expo, Big 5 PMV, Global Space Technology Forum and Commercial Vehicles Middle East in the country, said: "The UAE, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are popular as a Mice destination as they have good facilities and the ability to hold major world-class events. "Apart from this the fact that doing face-to-face business, meeting people, speaking to them before making any major business decisions is extremely important in the region as opposed to the other parts of the world where it is not considered that vital, is another factor that is making it the Mice hub as meetings and exhibitions provide that platform. "A lot of countries want to do business in the Middle East and they know that if they come down for events, conferences and exhibitions here, it will be beneficial to them as the people in this region see the value of coming out of their office, talking to people, see products before doing business, unlike elsewhere in the world where they prefer to do their research on the internet. I have worked in the Mice sector in the United Kingdom and I have seen major shows and events being reduced there as it is difficult to get people out of their offices. "So the three or four days in the UAE at an event are well spent as most major events here bring people in droves, which is good for those looking to do business here. "Whenever we hold an exhibition in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the response is always tremendous from global businesses and countries alike. In fact, for the Facilities Management Exhibition that we held in Dubai in May this year, we raised our global exhibitors by 60 per cent as compared to last year. Exhibitors came from Spain, Germany, Malaysia in droves. However, the contents of the show, the requirements of the region and the sector also matter. "Also, Dubai has a lot of advantages over the other places in the region. There is a major curiosity about it globally and it is a major tourist attraction. So when there is talk of a Mice event in Dubai, people are more willing to come here as they want to see the place and can combine business with pleasure," said Theobald. Brehl added: "Dubai is rightly positioned to attract business from Europe, the US and Asia. We have almost 120 airlines flying into Dubai every week. While Hong Kong, which is also a Mice hub, has half of that, only 50-60 airlines fly in every week there. "The air access is highly developed here; more than 200 destinations in the world can be reached. In fact it is much more convenient to come here for a global event than somewhere such as Las Vegas, Barcelona or Sydney. We can fly in almost 45,000 people to Dubai within three days for an international event. "Add to the above, the emirate's leading accommodation, infrastructrure and convention facilities, which are the most advanced in the region, and you realise that Dubai is truly a global destination," she said. Dubai too is conscious of the advantage it has and is doing its bit to promote itself as a