Dubai named best destination to hold business events in 2021

Dubai was ranked as the number one city for businesses to host events in 2021, a year when it put COVID restrictions firmly behind it and held a successful expo.

According to the 2021 International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) Destination Performance Index, Dubai saw the most number of meetings organised by international associations and the most number of estimated participants at these events.

This highlighted Dubai’s position at the forefront of the global business event sector’s recovery and the strong interest from meeting planners across the world to explore what the city has to offer, reported Emirates News Agency WAM.

The ICCA report is published to coincide with IMEX Frankfurt, one of the largest annual meetings and events industry exhibitions in the world, where Dubai is present this year with its largest ever delegation.

A total of 32 exhibitors have joined Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau at IMEX Frankfurt 2022, which runs from May 31 to June 2. Partners joining DBE at the event include Emirates, Jumeirah Group, Dubai World Trade Centre and Emaar Hospitality.

The teams at DBE and the co-exhibitors are expected to have over 500 client meetings at the newly-designed Dubai stand during the show.

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, "Dubai’s strong presence at IMEX Frankfurt is a testament to the city’s commitment to driving the recovery of the global business events sector, and building on the lead the city has taken in reshaping the industry in the wake of the pandemic.”

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He said the city continues to see a robust and growing appetite among meeting planners and association executives to rebuild their event calendars and collaborate with destinations that can provide them with safety, stability and a diverse range of offerings.

Dubai was among the first destinations to resume in-person business events after the COVID-19 pandemic, opening itself to hosting international meetings and attendees as early as October 2020.

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, said, "the city has rapidly emerged in the post-pandemic period as a host destination of choice for international associations and their major meetings, as well as the wider business events ecosystem.”

"We continue to work closely with international associations to ensure that Dubai can provide a platform for their business events and add momentum to the recoveries of the respective professions and industries they serve."

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The ICCA report examined 8,000 meetings scheduled for 2021 and categorised them based on how the meetings were impacted by the pandemic.

The index ranked destinations’ success in winning the original bid, Covid-19 event policies, adaptability and technological capabilities to convert on-site events into virtual or hybrid events – thereby maintaining business continuation.

Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, said: “Although we have yet to return to pre-pandemic numbers, we have gained significant ground on the road to full recovery. Further, we have transformed the meetings industry in the process.”

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The report also revealed that 2021 brought out a ‘show must go on’ mentality in the industry. For example, the market share of virtual and hybrid meetings doubled in just one year. Business continuation also increased by 30% while business cancellation dropped from 61% to 31%. The Middle East had the highest business continuation rate of all regions (77%), followed by Latin America (72%) and Asia (71%).