IAPCO Council experiences the best that Dubai has to offer

The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) Council panel met with stakeholders from the business events sector in Dubai on 3 November 2022 to discuss the professional and business events landscape. The meeting was part of the Council’s four-day Dubai meeting and strategy workshop programme. The IAPCO Council meeting took place at 25 Hours Hotel and World Trade Centre. For host destination Dubai, securing professional and business events are deemed a critical driver in the region’s economic recovery post-Covid and are one of the key strategic priorities of the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Steen Jakobsen, associate vice-president of Dubai Business Events, the city’s official convention bureau, said: “Our partnership with IAPCO has been a vital one, and we have been delighted to build on this by hosting the IAPCO Council in Dubai. Our stakeholders from across the city have had an invaluable opportunity to gain insights into global trends and priorities for the sector, and also to network with industry leaders. The continued growth of the business events sector is a priority for Dubai, and we look forward to continuing to partner with IAPCO to strengthen our expertise and capabilities in the city.” The busy four-day programme saw IAPCO Council members meet in a closed-door Council Meeting, presentations and roundtable discussions with local stakeholders and partners and experiencing the many varied and international attractions on offer to delegates in Dubai. Ori Lahav, IAPCO president commented: “The economic impact and social legacy that results from people gathering for business and professional events can never be underestimated. Our members delivered over 21,000 meetings and events worth over €13.5bn in economic impact in the cities they worked in in 2019, and although the Covid pandemic hampered this considerably last year, commercial and delegate support continued extremely strong with almost 12,000 events organised. It’s important for IAPCO and our members to collaborate closely with destination stakeholders to ensure this remains a fundamental driver in the years to come. All of our attending Council members are delighted to have experienced, first-hand, what Dubai can offer to their clients, whilst connecting with one another and sharing experiences and insights.”