Dubai’s hosting of the key meetings industry event was announced at the recently concluded IAPCO Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal.
Dubai has won a bid to host IAPCO Annual Meeting & General Assembly in 2017. The annual event brings together approx. 100 of the world’s most influential conference organisers from 40 countries, who collectively manage approximately 7,000 meetings per year with a combined annual economic impact of over $5 billion US dollars.
Dubai’s hosting of the key meetings industry event was announced at the recently concluded IAPCO Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. The winning bid was spearheaded by Dubai Business Events (DBE), a division of Dubai Tourism which serves as the city’s official convention bureau, in close partnership with local IAPCO members Meeting Minds and MCI Dubai. Key tourism industry stakeholders Emirates and Madinat Jumeirah also played a key role in securing the AGM.
Commenting on the win, Steen Jakobsen, Director of Dubai Business Events, said: “Part of our strategy to increase the number of visitors and business events hosted in Dubai every year centres on engaging with meeting planners and industry bodies from around the world to raise awareness about Dubai as a leading destination for international business events. By hosting the members of IAPCO, we are excited to be able to show what the city has to offer to a group of people who are highly influential in determining where major international meetings and association congresses take place every year.”
IAPCO, the leading authority on professional congress organisation worldwide, is the universally accepted benchmark for quality and excellence within the international meetings industry. By welcoming IAPCO members to Dubai in 2017, local tourism industry stakeholders will also have the opportunity to build relationships with key meetings decision-makers, and showcase their products and services first hand.
Commenting on Dubai’s bid, Michel Neijmann, current President of IAPCO, said: “The quality of Dubai’s bid was outstanding and truly reflected the local co-operation of all stakeholders. The bid showed a great understanding and support of IAPCO’s quest for quality in the meetings industry, and there is no doubt that the spirit of Dubai will inspire the members of IAPCO to keep learning and developing their businesses.”
Medhat Nassar, CEO Meeting Minds Experts, the Dubai headquartered IAPCO member company, added: “IAPCO offers a unique quality assurance platform recognised by association, corporate and government clients, through applying a strict Quality Control process for its members. Wining the bid to host IAPCO 2017 is an excellent recognition of the Dubai meetings industry and a vote of confidence by highly influential Professional Conference Organizers in 40 countries.”
“We are truly delighted by the outstanding support extend by our bidding partners Dubai Business Events, MCI Dubai, Emirates and Madinat Jumeirah, which has been instrumental in putting forward this successful bid,” he added.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
