Dubai to host major Lions Clubs event in 2018

Dubai is to host a major regional gathering of Lions Clubs International, the global service club organisation, with the organisation’s ISAAME Forum coming to the city in 2018. Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, worked with The International Association of Lions Clubs Middle East and UAE Premier Lions Club to bring the event to the emirate. A gathering of Lions Clubs International members from across India, South Asia, Africa & Middle East, the event is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants to discuss challenges and opportunities for the organisation. The event will take place at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, part of the Dubai World Trade Centre complex, 4–8 December 2018. Established in 1917, Lions Club International is celebrating its centenary this year. The organisation has a 100-year history of addressing humanitarian needs and has awarded a total of US$1bn in grant funding towards measles vaccination, sight-saving interventions, youth education, clean water wells and many other causes. Ahead of the 2018 ISAAME Forum, Dubai will later this year host one of Lions International’s two annual Executive Board Member meetings. The organisation’s entire executive leadership will descend on Dubai in November for the event. His Excellency Sheikh Tariq bin Faisal Al Qassimi (pictured), president of UAE Premier Lions Club, said: “We are honoured to host Lions International entire executive leadership – especially so, after the UAE has been ranked the number 1 in the regional Happiness Index, the UN landmark survey that measures the state of the global happiness in each country and region. Globally, the UAE is ranked at 21. “We are looking forward to welcoming our distinguished guests and providing an opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge, thus enriching mutual experiences to benefit us in the long run.” Dubai is looking to take the next step with the Lions Clubs and will be bidding to host the Lions Clubs International Convention in 2025, an event could bring 50,000 members from around the world to the city. Steen Jakobsen, director of Dubai Business Events, said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to assist in bringing this year’s board meeting and next year’s ISAAME Forum to Dubai. It is particularly appropriate that we are forging a relationship with Lions Clubs International in this Year of Giving for the UAE, and we look forward to building on this in the future.” The International Association of Lions Clubs Middle East is headquartered in Dubai’s International Humanitarian City.