Some of the key elements of Dubai World Trade Centre’s strategic campaign to position the UAE as the world’s most popular destination for events and exhibitions will be on display at this year’s Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) in April. 

The group – which is the leading event organiser and operator of the largest venue in the region – is positioning all elements of its business to achieving this ambitious goal, which has been developed in line with the Dubai 2015 vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

New research from the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE), a worldwide organization of more than 2,100 business professionals in 87 countries, suggests the strong strides that the group is making towards this goal. A survey of members conducted at the end of 2007 lists Dubai as one of the most popular destinations in the world for companies organising overseas meetings and incentive travel, alongside Hawaii, Las Vegas, Paris and London.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre explains: “Dubai is in the process of enhancing its international positioning as a key hub for global events and meetings. We aim to use our presence at GIBTM to network with peers in the industry, as well as to present our own product and service portfolio to a wider global audience. Currently we are the region’s leaders in the events and exhibitions industry and we aim to build on this platform to make Dubai the world’s leading destination for all major exhibitions, conferences and events.”

The DWTC exhibition at GIBTM will have on display the end-to-end range of services related to the exhibitions business, which include offerings from hospitality, logistics and engineering to event services, conference organising and venue management.

Among the key areas of specialisation that will be represented at GIBTM are transport and logistics planning, venue operations and congress management.

DWTC’s Dubai Congress Management (DCM) division has rapidly developed a reputation as one the region’s leading professional congress services groups, organising 25 conferences in 2007 in line with its mission to help grow the knowledge economy. These included a major meeting for the Asian Racing Conference that attracted 1,000 delegates, and an international Food Safety Conference, which drew 500 delegates.

In addition, the DWTC hospitality team will also be represented at GIBTM. Most recently winning the highest number of honours at the 2008 Emirates Salon Culinaire Chefs’ Competition this group has developed a global reputation for quality and set a mark for itself as the innovation leader in this region within the Hospitality sector.

Al Marri concluded: “GIBTM represents an excellent opportunity for us to discuss and define the future of the exhibitions market in the Middle East with our peers in the industry as we outline our ambitious plans for impending growth and development. We believe that DWTC offers a unique blend of experiences, services and advanced facilities for the international business community and GIBTM is our platform to showcase our service promise to the global industry.”