​Dubai welcomes 85 delegates to experience the city’s world class business conferences, events and incentives offering

Dubai Business Events hosts study trip to encourage attendees to discover Dubai

 Dubai Business Events (DBE), Dubai’s official convention bureau, welcomed 85 guests from Europe, including 70 hosted buyers and a further 15 of Europe’s leading media experts from the business events industry, to showcase the city’s world class meetings, incentives, conferences and event capabilities. Western Europe is a vital market for Dubai, and in 2015 it remained the second highest regional contributor to the emirate’s visitor volumes, bringing in nearly 3 million overnight visitors, reflecting a solid 6.1% growth in numbers.

A tailored itinerary that covered incentive, meeting and conferences was developed for the three day study tour. It included a number of the city’s leading attractions, such as a desert safari, a cultural tour of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood and a series of venue visits. Delegates also had the opportunity to experience the added extras that DBE can offer to make events truly memorable. This involved a bespoke team-building exercise which required an interactive iPad app to offer a series of challenges for the delegates, ensuring they learnt about the culture that underpins the city, while helping them to build lasting relationships with their fellow attendees.

The visiting media also attended an industry roundtable which included presentations from a number of DBE’s key partners; Emirates Airline, Dubai Airports, Dubai Parks and Resorts and Zayed University. These emphasise that Dubai is one of the most well connected economies in the world and the business and knowledge hub of the Middle East.

Hamad Bin Mejren, Senior Vice President, Dubai Events and Convention Bureau a Division of Dubai Tourism, said: “Dubai has continued to build momentum in the business, conferences and events industry. Inviting European buyer and media stakeholders to experience the plethora of incentives and first class facilities the city has to offer, as well as providing unique networking opportunities with a number of key suppliers, enables DBE to demonstrate why Dubai is continuing to grow in popularity across the sector.”

Commenting on the experience, attendee Sonia Graupera, said, “I loved my visit to Dubai. A fantastic three days, with an exciting and varied agenda. I really enjoyed the opportunity to gain insight into Dubai’s culture as well as experience some of the city’s best quality hotels and incentives, and learn more about its developing knowledge hub and innovation credentials. I thought the idea of introducing a team building challenge really helped drive engagement among the attendees as well. A brilliant all-round experience and I very much look forward to returning.”

Kuba Piotrowski, from Oriflame, one of the hosted buyers said: “Dubai is an amazing city and we have had a brilliant three days. From a night in the desert, to a seaplane tour to camel polo, we were able to experience the range of incentives and world class facilities that the city has to offer. Being able to meet with DBE’s partners was a great touch and a very valuable opportunity to grow and develop future relationships that will enable us to provide a better service to our customers.”

The European study tour is the first in a series of events that will see DBE host over 800 buyers and media delegates from its leading markets in 2016, as it continues to build towards Dubai’s ambitious target of of welcoming 20 million visitors per year to the city by 2020.

***

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Dubai Business Events – the Official Convention Bureau                                                                                                                 

Dubai Business Events (DBE) – the Official Convention Bureau, aims to further develop and increase Dubai's share of the international business events market in order to grow economic development, jobs and knowledge creation in the emirate. DBE’s main goal, as a division of Dubai Tourism, is to establish the Emirate as a premier business event destination by helping organizers of international meetings, incentives, congresses and exhibitions plan and manage every aspect of their event. DBE's service standards are audited by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance as part of DBE’s membership of BestCities Global Alliance that aim to deliver the world's best service experience for the meeting industry.

About Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism)

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai Tourism’s mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai among global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the emirate.

Dubai Tourism is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector. It markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector, and is responsible for the licensing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the Dubai Tourism portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). In addition to its headquarters in Dubai, Dubai Tourism operates 20 offices worldwide.