Nine external information campaigns on four continents during 2022 to showcase Dubai's strengths and capabilities in traditional markets and others that have strong opportunities for growth

Dubai confirms its position as a leading destination for major global events with its winning in 2021 to host 120 business events

The Dubai Business Events office, the official office for attracting events and conferences in Dubai, succeeded, through its cooperation with its partners in the public and private sectors during 2021, in attracting 120 international business events, whether those that were held in the same year or will be organized in the coming years. It is expected that the total attendance at these events, which vary between conferences, meetings and incentive programs for companies, will be about 70,000 government officials, decision makers, scholars and experts, confirming Dubai’s position as a preferred destination for hosting global events, and an ideal incubator for important discussions to shape the future of many One of the vital sectors and key professions, and the role of innovation in driving economic growth rates.

The strong performance, which was achieved despite the exceptional situation witnessed by the business events sector around the world during the last period, is due to the great efficiency shown by Dubai in dealing with the consequences of this stage, which was widely appreciated internationally, as Dubai provided ideal options for a group of Associations and organizers who have faced challenges in establishing their activities and events in other locations in the world during the past fifteen months, in order to enable these sectors to accelerate the pace of recovery, and thus advance the global economy.   

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His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General of the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai, said: "Within the framework of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, Dubai has been able to deal efficiently with the consequences of developments that the world has witnessed on the world. Over the past two years, ensuring business continuity, as well as contributing to the recovery of the global travel and tourism sector, which has been appreciated by the international business community, and also contributed to making Dubai a preferred destination for international institutions, companies and associations, as well as for talented people in many sectors and professions, consolidating its position as a major center for hosting Activities of all types and sizes.

He added: “The experience we have witnessed over the past two years has confirmed the importance of business events organized in the presence of participants and speakers in person, as well as the direct benefit that these activities and events can provide to organizers, participants, sponsors, exhibitors and others. For this, we continue to explore various possible opportunities to host more business events. In Dubai during the coming period, by working continuously with our partners to provide a safe and effective environment to enable the various stakeholders to exchange knowledge, opinions and experiences in order to establish a lasting legacy.”

Among the major business events that Dubai won in 2021 was the 27th ICOM Conference for the year 2025. The efforts of "Dubai Business Events", in cooperation with the UAE branch of the International Council of Museums (ICOM - UAE), and the Culture and Arts Authority in Dubai, "Dubai Culture", and the Dubai Municipality, in presenting the city and its capabilities in a distinctive way, crowned their file with Dubai winning the hosting of the conference, making Dubai the first city in the Middle East and North Africa to receive the organization of this prestigious international conference.

Other major events that Dubai won hosting over the past year included: BIR World Recycling Convention & Exhibition 2022 BIR World Recycling Convention &Exhibition, 2023 Asian Congress in Pediatric Nephrology, International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis 2024 Congress of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

At the same time, the growth of corporate meetings, conferences and catalytic activities in the city continued, with the addition of McDonald's Russia Convention, AIA Star Convention and Oriflame Anniversary Gold Conference, which will be organized in 2022.

This activity comes as Dubai hosts more business events through Emphasizing the importance of this sector, especially after merging both "Dubai Tourism" and "Dubai Economy" into one entity: the "Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism", which aims to attract 400 global economic activities annually by 2025.

Evidence of confidence

For his part, Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: "Business events play an important role in attracting international visitors, in addition to their great economic impact and contribution to the development of knowledge and innovation in the emirate. There is no doubt that the momentum of the events program for international institutions and associations in Dubai during the coming period is evidence of the confidence that these entities place in Dubai’s capabilities and their knowledge of its ability to provide the appropriate environment to host such events to share opinions and exchange experiences, and the incentive programs for companies that Dubai will witness over the coming years are a clear indication of the firm desire of major companies to make Dubai a preferred destination for them to establish their activities there.”

In 2021, the office of "Dubai Business Events" participated in a program full of promotional activities around the world, which included a set of external information campaigns in the main target markets, as well as promotional tours and international exhibitions, including the IBTM World exhibition. World, IMEX America, and IMEX America.

For his part, Steen Jacobsen, Assistant Vice President of Dubai Business Events, said: “We are keen to strengthen cooperation with our partners in the hospitality sector from hotel establishments, as well as event hosting venues, in addition to service providers, and others involved in the business events ecosystem. In 2022, we count on this cooperation, which we believe will be more important than ever, especially as we look to benefit from the recovery of the tourism and events sector globally, in parallel with our efforts to motivate event planners and organizers, as well as international associations, to organize their conferences, meetings and promotional and motivational activities in Dubai. We always encourage our partners to join us and support 'Dubai Business Events' through our year-round program of activities in Dubai as well as in key markets around the world, and also through bidding to host new events."

During 2022, "Dubai Business Events" will run nine external awareness campaigns on four continents, showcasing Dubai's potential in traditional markets such as India, Europe and China, and markets with strong growth opportunities, including Israel and Latin America.

While it will continue to host more delegations invited from all over the world to explore the city, partners will once again have the opportunity to join Dubai Business Events to participate in major trade fairs.

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