MIDDLE EAST – Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has announced it has won bids to host 10 new international congresses at the venue from 2015–2018.
The congress profiles span strategic industry sectors including healthcare, energy, aviation, engineering, and insurance. The new roster of high-profile events, the bureau expects, will bring in 28,000 delegates from around the globe and deliver an estimated AED275 million (US$72m) economic boost for the emirate.
“Dubai has established itself globally as the regional link for organisations and industries seeking to increase their footprint in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region. We aim to complement the emirate’s growth by strategically targeting congresses in growth sectors to drive maximum benefit and return on investment,” said Ahmed Alkhaja, Senior Vice-President – Venues, DWTC.
“Through these new congresses, in addition to our existing portfolio, we will continue to foster platforms for knowledge-sharing, attracting quality businesses and delegates who see the unique appeal this city brings,” Alkhaja added.
Health and safety will drive the agenda at the beginning of the year with Global HSE Conference (Health and Safety Environment) taking place in February. The Nuviun Digital Health and Medical Technology Conference 2015 follows in May.
The 11th Worldwide China Insurance Congress and Dragon Awards Ceremony comes to Dubai in August, with an anticipated 7,000 delegates.
Other key events that will take place in the second half of 2015 include The International Federation of Consulting Engineers 2015 and the Consumer Rights Conference.
Confirmed congresses for 2016 include the 61st Distripress Annual Congress, the 34th International Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (won through a competitive bid process that included Paris, Rome and Copenhagen), and the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition which is forecasting 10,000 visitors.
The World Congress for Brain, Spinal Cord Mapping will be held in March 2017 and The Institute of Internal Auditors Conference will take place in May 2018.
In 2013, DWTC welcomed 2.2m trade visitors – a 20 per cent year-on-year increase, supporting tens of thousands of jobs.
DWTC is part of the ‘Bid Alliance’, which is a collaboration of the emirate’s stakeholders that have united to create a communal approach to handling international congress bids. The group, in turn, is part of the Dubai Business Events – The Official Convention Bureau, a division of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
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