As Dubai prepares for a landmark year in which it will begin hosting Expo 2020 Dubai, the city has continued to forge links with the business events community in North America, building on the strong potential to attract more conference, meetings and incentives from the market.
Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, this year hosted a study mission from North America, enabling a select group of planners and meetings professionals visiting Dubai to explore some of the latest offerings and experiences in the city. DBE was also joined by stakeholders from across Dubai for a series of networking events in Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Dallas. Meanwhile, DBE led the city’s participation in trade shows and industry events including IMEX America, the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition, the ICCA Congress in Houston and the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo. These activities were all cemented by Dubai’s permanent presence in the market, ensuring planners and meetings professionals across the US and Canada are always able to find support and information locally.
Steen Jakobsen, Assistant Vice President, Dubai Business Events, said: “North America continues to be a crucial market for us, particularly in the corporate meetings segment, with planners and buyers increasingly seeing the value of bringing their groups to Dubai. In 2019, we once again executed a robust calendar of activities across the US and Canada and within Dubai itself, showcasing to planners the opportunities to host unique, impactful events in Dubai and highlighting the support we at Dubai Business Events, as well as our stakeholders across the city, are able to offer.”
In 2020, DBE is set to build on these activities, with study missions, sales missions and participation in major industry events in North America. As the city prepares to host Expo 2020 Dubai, which commences on 20 October, strong interest is expected, both for events hosted at the Expo site, or for inclusion in itineraries. DBE will also lead a strong delegation to major trade shows, including IMEX Frankfurt, IBTM World and IMEX Americas, where it will be able to underline the city’s appeal to a diverse global audience.
In addition to the Expo 2020 Dubai site, which will include the 45,000 square foot Dubai Exhibition Centre, other new additions to the city’s business events and wider tourism infrastructure next year include: Ain Dubai, at 250 meters tall set to be the world’s tallest observation wheel; ME Dubai, a Zaha Hadid-designed hotel opening in Business Bay; Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, a sister hotel to the iconic Atlantis The Palm; and Museum of the Future, an architecturally striking new addition in the heart of the city where visitors will be able to see, touch and shape our shared future.
Jakobsen added: “Dubai is a city that never rests on its laurels, and we look forward to strengthening our ties with meeting planners and buyers, especially with Expo 2020 Dubai commencing in Dubai – and the new infrastructure being developed for that – as well as the acceleration expected in the growth of the city’s knowledge economy.”
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