Dubai Constructs a Conference and Events Hub for the Future
Skift Take
Dubai might not offer meetings and convention attendees the culture of Tokyo or the cuisine of New York, but its location, growing room and space inventory, and desire to bring in more events will drive its growth beyond the 2020 Expo.
As Dubai prepares to host the Expo 2020 Dubai, its meetings and events industry continues to grow amid a more diverse hotel selection, increased air travel accessibility, and greater focus from tourism officials.
"If you ask me what the single type of tourism that Dubai probably does better than most places in the world," says Dubai World Trade Centre CEO Helal Almarri, "It’s definitely the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry."
Dubai benefits from its location as a crossroads between the east and the west.
“Vegas really sucked a lot of the industry for America and South America. Shanghai and Hong Kong have emerged on that side of the world and we’re sitting in the middle," says Almarri, who believes that Dubai's strength and continued growth comes from the exhibition market.
“If you look at the way exhibitions work, they drive the largest number of tourists out of the events industry. The meetings and conference industries drive a lot as well but in terms of sheer numbers, it’s the exhibition industry.”
Exhibitions are generally large trade shows focused on business-to-business industries while conferences are generally shorter events designed to accomplish a specific g
