Emirate wins bid to host global meeting industry’s most prestigious event
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: November 19, 2014: Dubai’s business event industry has received a formidable international commendation with its successful bid to host the 2018 International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress, the international meeting industry’s most prestigious event. The awarding and subsequent hosting of the event will raise Dubai’s profile globally with regards to business events and will provide a substantial boost for the industry across the Middle East as a whole.
Steen Jakobsen, Director of Dubai Business Events, a division of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), commented: “We are extremely delighted that the ICCA Board of Directors has chosen Dubai as the host destination for the 57th edition of the ICCA Congress. The ICCA Congress is known to attract a gathering of meeting industry professionals from across the globe and will be a fantastic opportunity for the Emirate to familiarise leading ICCA members with everything Dubai and the Middle East has to offer for business and leisure tourists. We look forward to working closely with ICCA and the members of the Middle East Chapter to organize the first ICCA Congress taking place in our region.”
The winning of this prestigious event underpins Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020 to increase the number of visitors to the Emirate through consistently engaging events right across the year. Business events in particular are an integral part of that overall vision and the 2018 ICCA Congress will aid in achieving the goal of making Dubai a leading global hub for International business events.
Ultimately business events, such as the 2018 ICCA Congress, provide a fantastic opportunity not only for the Dubai business events industry, it also opens many doors for the region as a whole. It provides a platform for the Middle East to learn from more experienced markets, get a true understanding of what their strengths and weaknesses are, educate international business leaders on benefits and nuances of doing business in the Middle East and help in fulfilling the regions full potential.
ICCA CEO Martin Sirk commented: “Dubai is positioning itself as the Middle East hub for association development, and the potential for ICCA membership growth is very exciting, so there are very compelling business opportunities for both ICCA and our members.”
By continuing to host prestigious business events such as the 2018 ICCA Congress, Dubai will further establish itself as an international knowledge society that is consistently exposed to cutting edge leadership and thinking across all industries through lectures, debates and interaction between global and local experts and practitioners while simultaneously driving economic growth through key industries such as airlines, airports, hotels, venues and conference agencies.
