MARCH 25 – day one | March 26 and 27– day two AND DAY THREE
The official show daily for the Gulf Incentives, Business travel & Meetings Exhibition 2013
Perfect storm drives sector prospects
inside
04 Exhibitor news
Latest IBTM Middle East Meetings Industry Report revealed
16 IBTM Midde East Meetings Industry Research analysis 20 Education programme 21 Ali Al Saloom's vision to revive Abu Dhabi's pearling heritage 22 The show in pictures 24 Focus on exhibiting destinations 30 Soundbites from the show floor
06 HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan surveys the show
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The Gulf, Middle East and North Africa (GMENA) is topping the regional shopping list for buyers looking to stage meetings and events in 2013, according to the IBTM Middle East Meetings Industry Research Report, which was released yesterday in a keynote seminar. The seventh annual edition surveyed 209 buyers and 210 suppliers from the Middle East and key international source markets, with industry professionals across the board responding positively about business prospects for the year ahead. A total of 80 percent of buyers surveyed predicted overall conference and events growth supported by an increase in client budgets and business volume. The majority of all Middle East
buyers surveyed (68.5%) and 63.5 percent of global buyers expect the number of events to increase in the next 12 months, following on from 2012 volume gains which saw 58.3 percent of Middle East buyers and 49.1 percent of global buyers reporting growth in the past year. Top-ranking destinations in terms of event volume were the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar also making the top six. “It’s a very different picture in this region compared to the rest of the world and we’ve had a ‘perfect storm’ scenario in terms of intra-regional tourism opportunity, with the Gulf seen as a safe haven despite ongoing political upheaval
in the wider Middle East,” said Rob Nicholas, Managing Director, NPI. "In terms of most popular meeting destinations, Saudi Arabia has been the Gulf’s big success story; climbing from 10th place back in 2010 to the second spot this year. Regional meetings growth has been the springboard, supported by government investment in business tourism” he added. The region’s key destinations are also factoring in international associations business as part of their long term strategy for success. “High profile destinations like the UAE and Qatar offer a strong infrastructure and government focus on long term economic diversification, and are active in targeting major peripatetic events. The pharmaceutical and financial sectors are top agenda priorities across the region, and so there is excellent synergy with international associations looking for destinationrelevant opportunities,” said Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager, GIBTM, who copresented the research findings. Buyers are also scouting new locations in which to hold meetings and incentives, with 53 percent of those surveyed expecting to increase the use of new destinations over the next 12 months and 63 percent of suppliers echoing this trend. “The growth in locations across the region, from Oman to Qatar, is creating an increasingly competitive environment and has prompted existing suppliers and destinations to reinvent, repackage and re-promote their offering.,” remarked Nicholas. Report continued on page 16.
Inspiring digital interaction 26 Seminar highlights Tuesday 10.00 - 11.00
ACTE on maximising a managed travel programme
Tuesday 11.30 - 12.30 An insight into meeting design
Tuesday 14.30 - 15.30 Embracing Arabic culture (Arabic session)
Tuesday 16.00 - 17.00 Hosted Buyer Q & As
Wednesday 10.30 - 12.00 The GIBTM 20x20 Challenge – powered by PechaKucha
The inaugural Event Camp Middle East is proving to be a big success among both GIBTM delegates and meeting professionals around the world who are logging on to participate in sessions being streamed live online. “Yesterday’s sessions reached almost 16,000 users and generated 63 Tweets from 15 users across 10 countries over two hours. We expect an even bigger audience tomorrow,” said Josh Dry, Marketing Executive, ShowGizmo. “Created by event professionals for event professionals, Event Camp provides a live hybrid environment where delegates can share insights with experts anywhere. For those who could not make it to Abu Dhabi, it’s like having GIBTM in your living room.” A highlight of the line up is a session on augmented reality (AR) presented on Tuesday March 26 at 14:15 by Tom Wood, Founder & President of Kudan. From virtual product display, which
Event Camp Middle East 2013
allows exhibitors and attendees to visualise physical products in an on-stand environment, to virtual teleportation to venues, AR is sure to attract attention. It’s more than just a novelty, however, as Wood is certain the technology is here to stay.
“Many of the current applications using the ‘AR browsers’ have been highly gimmicky as their business model requires many clients’ experiences on the same platform,” he said. Report continued on page 4.