Middle East MICE and Events

The definitive Middle East publication for meetings incentives conferences exhibitions and events www.memice.com

A Motivate publication

issue 27 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

RIGHT ON CUE

NEWS & VIEWS

Hotels launch MICE packages

The big INTERVIEW DWTC CEO outlines strategy

HOW TO GUIDE

Connect with your audience

MARKET SPOTLIGHTS

Cairo and Toronto boost MICE business

CALENDAR OF EVENTS GITEX and INDEX January mark milestones

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Issue 27 t October-November 2010 A Motivate Publication Editor-in-Chief Obaid Al Tayer Group Editor and Managing Partner Ian Fairservice Group Senior Editor Gina Johnson Group Editor Catherine Belbin Contributing Editor Dominic Ellis Editorial Coordinator Concessa D’Souza Art Director Cris Domdom Senior Designer B Raveendran Photographers Vikram Gawde, Farooq Salik General Manager Group Sales Anthony Milne Senior Advertisment Manager Abraham Koshy General Manager – Abu Dhabi Joe Marritt General Manager – Production and Circulation S Sasidharan Production Manager C Sudhakar Published by

Head Office: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE memicee@motivate.ae, motivate@motivate.ae www.memice.com Tel +971 4 282 4060; Fax +971 4 282 0428

This issue It promises to be an intriguing season ahead for the region’s MICE sector, as new hotels provide increased competition, and established brands lay on more discounts and packages to try and attract and retain business in what remains an extremely competitive environment.

There’s now a noticeable buzz around the region’s exhibitions scene, which has undoubtedly come of age with GITEX and INDEX about to record their 30th and 20th anniversaries respectively.

In this issue, we talk to Helal Al Marri, who reflects on GITEX’s three-decade evolution and outlines his overall strategy for future DWTC, which is increasingly focusing on emerging markets.

We interview two men who provide a behind-the-scenes account of their preparation for one of Dubai’s biggest outdoor events, and shine the spotlight on Cairo and Toronto to see how their MICE sectors are faring.

Despite anecodatal evidence that business is picking up, there’s no escaping the mood of universal caution. Certainly no one is expecting the kind of registrations scramble we saw in the boom times. Exhibitors are likely to continue scrutinising ROI and delegates be equally discerning when it comes to conference attendance and assessing potential business leads.

But our news pages are testament to the fact that there remains no shortage of activity and developments, which bodes well for the future health of the region’s industry.

Don’t forget you don’t have to wait until the next issue to keep abreast of all the changes – simply log on to memice.com where you can read all the latest news.

Motivate Publishing FZ LLC 5th Floor, Office 508, Building No 8, Dubai Media City, UAE. Tel +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE, Tel +971 2 677 2005; Fax +971 2 677 0124 motivate-adh@motivate.ae London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK. motivateuk@motivate.ae

Motivate Publishing takes care to ensure that all facts published herein are correct. In the event of any inaccuracy, please contact the editor. The publisher does not accept responsibility for any error, omission or claims made in the magazine. Any opinion expressed is the honest belief of the author based on all available facts.

Comments and facts should not be relied upon by the reader in taking commercial, legal, financial or other decisions. Articles are by their nature general, and specialist advice should always be consulted before any action is taken.

Printed by IPP, Dubai

Cover: Switch Bowling Centre, Ibn Battuta Mall. Photo: Farooq Salik

Please send letters, comments and suggestions to memice@motivate.ae MEMICE.COM 5

Contents

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

NEWS AND EXHIBITIONS

8 Hotels launch MICE packages and offers 10 Michael Jackson rings the changes at BTSME 12 Show news 13 Regional news 14 International news FEATURES

26

13

18 Behind the beach party How the men behind Sandance are preparing for the big night

22

20 Show time Dubai World Trade Centre CEO shares his strategy 22 Thirst for Knowledge Cairo is hosting more information-rich events 26 Blowing hot and cold Toronto’s cool facilities will warm up winter delegates REFERENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

25 Venue review Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi is ready for your MICE needs

25

31 How to guide New electronic tools boost audience interaction CALENDAR

31

33 Exhibitions calendar Your essential guide to the coming season

MEMICE.COM 7

NEWS

IN BRIEF First sea safety awards at Seatrade The first regional ceremony to honour sea safety will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on the opening morning of Seatrade Middle East Maritime which is running between October 26-28.

Amver Awards will be given to vessels that have participated in the programme and assisted in sea safety missions over 128 times in one year and Special Amver Awards given for dramatic or exceptional rescues. Benjamin Strong, Director of Marketing, Amver Maritime Relations, said the decision to hold the awards in Dubai is indicative of the expansion of the shipping sector in the region and its continuing humanitarian efforts to ensure safety at sea.

Powerful line-up for Power-Gen An 80-strong speaker programme is being lined up for Power-Gen Middle East 2010 at Qatar International Exhibition Centre between October 4-6. The conference, which is being held in Doha for the first time in its nineyear history, will cram in 21 sessions covering all aspects of the regional power and water industries.

QNCC slated for 2011 opening The upcoming Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) aims to be the region’s largest when it opens next year.

The 177,000sqm convention centre, part of the Qatar Foundation Education City, is set to cost around $1.2 billion upon completion. The striking six-storey structure has been designed like a Sidra Tree, a popular icon in Qatari culture.

Apart from exhibitions and conferences, the centre will host local and international music and arts festivals, boat and motor shows.

8 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

Hotels launch new MICE packages and offers

The Gulf ’s MICE sector is firing on all cylinders again with new and existing hotels keen to maximise business through innovative services, packages and offers.

Hilton Worldwide is offering event planners 15 per cent off meeting reservation rates and double Event Bonus rewards for bookings made before October 23 and scheduled before December 31 2011.

Participating brands include Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton hotels.

Regional hotels highlighted as suitable for group trips or business meetings include Jeddah Hilton, the newly renovated Hilton Abu Dhabi and Conrad Cairo.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has launched Meetings Made Yours which enables planners to design individual programmes and capitalise on some promotional extras, in which clients can choose from four of seven options.

“We recognise that there is no ‘standard’ conference and that each has its own unique set of needs,” says Susan Helstab, Executive Vice President, Marketing.

“Meetings Made Yours aims to enhance the success of each

event by allowing meetings planners to customise it from the start.”

To qualify, events must include 10 or more rooms (peak night), and stays must be completed by March 31 2011, and blackout dates may apply and vary. Meetings Made Yours rates for Europe, Middle East & Africa properties start from 175.

New in every sense is the recently opened Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates, Accor’s upscale hotel brand (pictured), which specialises in medium-

to-large meetings (serving a core target of 100-plus participants). An entire floor is dedicated to executive facilities, including nine meeting rooms and private breakout areas, providing flexibility to host different sized events from board meetings to conferences.

Advocating a ‘Co-Meeting’ approach to meetings, conferences and incentive events, it offers dedicated areas, modern equipment, innovative breaks and special-purpose meeting teams including Event and IT solutions managers.

Capital Gate on course for new year ‘splash’ Work continues apace on Capital Gate’s interior fit out with a view to opening early next year. The striking 35-storey tower is divided between the Hyatt Capital Gate, whose rooms are located on levels 18 and above, and commercial office space on levels 2-16. While there are no plans to host exhibitions in the tower, it will be linked, via an element called the ‘splash,’ to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition

Centre. Capital Gate has been conceived to be the focal point of the exhibition centre development following other iconic buildings that have seen a strong association with events, such as The Eiffel Tower and The Atomium in Brussels, which were built for the World’s Fairs in 1889 and 1958. It was certified as the ‘World’s Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower’ by the Guinness Book of Records this year.

NEWS

Michael Jackson lines up for changing times at BTSME The ‘other’ Michael Jackson – the professional motivational and keynote public speaker – will be moderating an interactive roundtable session during The Business Travel Show Middle East Show (BTSME) between October 25-26 at Madinat Arena, Dubai.

Jackson, who has addressed over 700 conferences and seminars across Europe, Africa, Asia, the USA and the Middle East, will present his world-renowned keynote presentation, ‘The Challenge of Change’, and deliver a follow-up sesson on ‘The Business of Change’. He will reflect on the intrinsic mindset of the business traveller and its significance to implementing successful corporate travel policies.

Session participants will have the opportunity to brainstorm

and problem-solve certain scenarios pertaining to traveller behaviour, providing them with ideas and solutions that can be immediately applied to their travel programs when returning to the office.

“Michael Jackson has carved out his reputation as one of the best business-

to-business speakers on the global professional speaker circuit and with his expertise in Change Management, is the ideal candidate to address the participants at BTSME who will all be hungry to learn of best business practices which can be used to streamline their corporate travel policies,” said Monique Swart, Project Manager for The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).

ACTE, appointed exclusive education partner for the show, will present a series of keynote sessions, seminars and round tables designed to reflect the needs of the region’s corporate and travel buying community.

BTSME will also be going live with the first ever OnLine Meeting Service, which allows exhibitors and visitors to pre-schedule their visit

and participation itineraries by setting up and confirming appointments throughout the show.

“Our On-line Meeting service will significantly optimise and maximise the value and benefit of attending the show for both exhibitors and visitors,” said Paul Grinnall, Event Director for BTSME. The show will see leading travel suppliers showcasing their latest products and services, and features a twoday education conference advising how to create the best travel policy and a range of networking events, which will facilitate new contacts and bestpractice sharing.

The Address Hotels + Resorts is the main sponsor of the Hosted Buyers programme. businesstravelshowmiddleeast.com, othermichaeljackson.com

DWTC records 639,170 visitors in first half of 2010 Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) recorded 639,170 visitors in the first six months of 2010, making it on course to exceed last year’s 1.2 million total.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, CEO, DWTC, said the results were “a robust indicator” of the growing confidence that organisers have in Dubai’s proposition as a key trading platform, and it continued to attract top-tier visitors from the Middle East, North Africa, CIS and Indian Sub-Continent. The period saw DWTC host 22,000 companies across 59 exhibitions.

As part of its strategic mandate to support sectors vital to Dubai’s economy, DWTC’s calendar of events in the first half of the year delivered large scale and niche 10 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

events within healthcare, food, trade manufacturing, tourism, education, leisure & maritime among others.

Arab Health 2010, the largest healthcare exhibition in the Middle East and second largest globally, was 20 per cent larger, occupying the entire exhibition space at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC), including the 25,000sqm provided by the new Sheikh Saeed halls, and attracted a record 66,000 delegates.

Gulfood 2010 recorded 22 per cent growth in visitor traffic over 2009, hosting 55,379 trade visitors from the food & beverage manufacturing and catering service industries from over 153 countries, and the 18th Dubai International Boat

Show, held in March 2010, saw 15 global launches and was attended by more than 700 companies.

New additions to the first half calendar included exhibitions and congresses within aviation, ICT, trade and healthcare, drawing over 90,000 new visitors. Among the new shows hosted so far this year were the Aerospace Defence and Training Show (ADTS), the China Homelife Show, Commercial Vehicles Middle East Show, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Exhibition and Conference, the Dubai International Peace Convention and Microsoft Tech-Ed. The second half line-up will include the 30th Anniversary of GITEX Technology Week.

Turn to page 20 for interview

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NEWS

New world order shrouds Cityscape Global Future economic trends and recovery prospects for the global economy will be at the top of the agenda at the Cityscape Global Real Estate Investment and Development Conference at Dubai World Trade Centre between October 4-7. Sam Chandan, Global Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Real Capital Analytics, will deliver the keynote presentation.

Chandan, an adjunct professor of real estate at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and one of the industry’s most influential people according to Multi Housing News

magazine, will assess the economic outlook for 2011 and beyond, giving his thoughts

as to potential hotspots for investors and whether there will be a geographical shift in world

financial centres or change in ranking of the largest and fastest growing economies.

Hilton raises Dead Sea convention profile Hilton Worldwide has taken over management of Jordan’s Dead Sea King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre (KHBTCC).

With almost 5,000sqm of meeting space and 23,000sqm of built-up area spread over 25 conference and meeting rooms and three floors, KHBTCC is one of the largest in the region, capable of accommodating approximately 5000 guests.

The Convention Centre is next to the 285-room Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa currently under development and scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Hilton Worldwide manages the Convention Centre through an agreement with Dead Sea Resorts PSC Company and it will be operated under the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand.

As part of Jordan’s strategy to capture MICE business, 12 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

the convention centre has hosted international conferences such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) in

the last three years – and next May it hosts the International Monetary Fund – as well as local and regional conferences,

workshops and exhibitions.

With fully-equipped conference and meeting halls that vary in size and capacity, the centre is able to accommodate numerous events with different capacity requirements simultaneously.

“This partnership will leverage the Hilton brand’s global expertise and innovative leadership in meetings and large scale events for the benefit of the region as Jordan continues its growth in this segment,” said Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand.

H.E. Eng. Said Darwazah, Chairman of Dead Sea Resorts, said having a wellestablished brand such as Hilton on board will help it meet conference and incentive travellers’ high expectations as it prepares for a “surge” in business travel across Jordan.

Event Show Switch aims to bowl over clients and staff aims to unite industry The Middle East Event Show, billed as the region’s first forum for the MICE, events and entertainment industry, will be held June 1-2 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The show is designed to serve as a regional networking platform for suppliers, service providers and events industry professionals and capitalise on the multitude of events in the trade, consumer, conference, festival and sporting arenas.

The UAE has invested heavily in premier exhibition facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the 2011 opening of the Qatar National Convention Centre, the world’s first greentechnology venue, will further raise the region’s MICE profile.

Healthcare meet tackles challenges

The Primary Healthcare Conference taking place as part of the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress (ADMC), from October 17-19 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), will focus on the challenges being faced by the sector regionally. Running alongside the Congress is a 5,000sqm exhibition containing more than 150 companies.

The newly opened Switch Bowling centre in Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall is targeting corporate and special events and team building activities.

The bowling centre from Switch Middle East features latest equipment designed by Italian design firm Pininfarina, which takes the bowling experience into a new sporting design realm.

Multi-media screens span 12 lanes and alongside the innovative lighting system are top-line billiards tables at the Q’s billiards club, four soundproof karaoke studios, conference room, and food and beverage menu. The centre also offers treats for youngsters as a number of computers are available for various networking games at Networkx. “It will

be an eye-opening experience designed to bring more quality and style, speed and sporting value for the competitive bowler and the leisure player,” said Ahmed El Komy, President, Switch Middle East. “We believe that this is a strategy that perfectly fits the market in Dubai, where people constantly look out for added value entertainment amenities.”

East coast divers beef up reef cleanliness

More than 30 divers took to the UAE east coast waters recently to clean up ocean debris and highlight Project Aware International Clean-up Day. They made two separate dives to the artificial site near Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Fujairah, documenting ocean debris and its impact on the environment.

The event was organised by

Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Al Boom Diving and Emirates Diving Association (EDA) staff.

Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Fujairah, said: “It is astounding to know that the number one item found in clean-ups is cigarette filters and simple learnings like these encourage us to educate the community

and help us form the much needed larger environment protection groups.” Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi , Executive Director of EDA, said it always supported underwater and beach clean ups as part of its Reef Check project to ensure marine life remains healthy.

Forthcoming initiatives include the annual ‘Clean Up Arabia’ event on November 5.

MEMICE.COM 13

NEWS

ExCeL London second phase inaugurated Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has officially inaugurated the second phase expansion of ExCeL London, signalling ADNEC’s emergence as a rising star in the global events industry.

ExCeL London’s Dhs900m (GBP165m) expansion was inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, ADNEC Chairman, and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and attended by a VIP delegation including H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade; H.E. Mohamed Ahmed Al Bowardi, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; John Penrose, UK Minister for Tourism; ExCeL and ADNEC board members,

and other leading figures from the UAE and UK public and private sectors.

ExCeL London’s latest expansion creates a world-class International Convention Centre for the UK capital with facilities including a 5,000seater auditorium, a breakout area for 2,500 delegates and London’s largest banqueting

hall with a 3,000-seat capacity.

Additionally, exhibition space at ExCeL London, the venue for leading exhibitions including World Travel Market and DSEi, has grown by 50 per cent, to 97,500sqm to become one of Europe’s largest exhibition centres.

The UAE and UK governments aim to boost

trade by more than 60 per cent by 2015.

Additional areas of mutual growth for ADNEC and ExCeL are being identified, with a 252-room Aloft Hotel coming up on site in time for the London 2012 Olympics. ExCeL is host venue for seven Olympic and six Paralympics disciplines for the London games.

CastaDiva gears up for luxury incentives

The first five-star property to open on Italy’s Lake Como in 100 years is about to make a splash in the luxury incentives market. The 79-residence CastaDiva Resort, split across nine villas, contains four meeting rooms which can 14 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

accommodate a maximum 200 people.

“There are possibilities for meetings, but if you look at the room capacity we have, the resort is more suited for incentives and product launches,” said Gregor

Zielhardt, Deputy Director of Sales, The Tais Collection.

“The MICE market was almost dead in southern Europe last year, but now proposals are coming in and deals are being closed.”

He said the best MICE

rates are likely to be in the second half of the year, after the peak tourism season.

The resort, around 35 minutes from Milan airport, blends traditional Italian and contemporary designs and all rooms face the lake.

Serving as a ‘temple of opera’, CastaDiva will strike a chord with music lovers by hosting themed events with young writers and singers.

Two restaurants are on site together with a 1,600sqm elements-themed spa which opens up onto the lake where, for added indulgence, guests can take a dip in a movable swimming pool.

The resort has parking on site, although style-conscious guests may prefer to arrive by boat. Rack rates range from e580 a night (double), rising to e4,900 for villas.

a meeting venue like no other &!,+%b' Xdc[ZgZcXZ VcY WVcfjZi^c\ heVXZ &* b^cjiZh [gdb 6Wj 9]VW^ >ciZgcVi^dcVa 6^gedgi *% b^cjiZh [gdb 9jWV^ &% ]^\]"iZX] bZZi^c\ VcY WdVgYgddbh 6 bV\c^ÉXZci *%)b' WVaagddb ;gdb Wjh^cZhh bZZi^c\h id K>E gZXZei^dch! XdgedgViZ iZVb Wj^aY^c\ id Xdc[ZgZcXZh! Zm]^W^i^dch id egdYjXi aVjcX]Zh! I]Z NVh =diZa d[[Zgh ZkZgni]^c\ ndj cZZY#

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NEWS

Aviation events take off Aviation-related events are flying high in tandem with the regional industry’s growth.

The World Food Programme (WFP), through its Sharjah-based Aviation Safety Unit, is organising the second Global Aviation Safety Conference (GASC) for Humanitarian Air Activities on October 11-12 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sharjah.

The fourth Dubai Helishow, which will be held at Dubai Airport Expo from November 2-4, targets the region’s growing civil, medical, military, and search and rescue sector helicopter needs. The biennial event showcases latest product offerings from leading helicopter manufacturers,

and suppliers of specialist technologies and services, and exhibitors include Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and Eurocopter.

This year sees the first Military & Homeland Security Exhibition, complementing the Defense & Paramilitary Conference.

Attention will then switch to the UAE capital next year for the ‘Big Boys Toys’ event (www.bigboystoysuae.com) at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, between February 2-5. The exhibition, expected to feature more than 100 exhibitors across 46 categories, aims to capitalise on the ongoing growth of the reion’s business jet market, which is projected to deliver more than 200 units by 2015.

Sharjah and Oman sign MICE co-operation deal

A co-operation deal between Expo Centre Sharjah and Oman International Trade and Exhibitions is set to boost the MICE sector in both destinations.

As part of the agreement, Expo Centre Sharjah will also launch an Omani consumer exhibition next year.

The agreement was reached during the recent visit of an Omani delegation to Expo Centre Sharjah, where Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, 16 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, held talks with the visiting team headed by Mr Nick Hodge, Managing Director of Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITC).

The two parties will exchange expertise, information and experience and expand consultations about latest developments concerning the exhibition industry. Both the parties will also form a working team to follow up the details of the agreement.

Arab modern art museum set to open in December

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art will open to the public on December 30 in Doha. Pronounced “Mathaff ” – which means museum in Arabic – the museum will house more than 6,000 works of Arab art from the 1840s to the present day. Mathaf will occupy a 5,500sq m site on a former school building in Education City, with a view to moving to a future permanent home at a later date. The facility will contain galleries on two floors, cafe, museum shop, research library and education wing. On-site and online programs will reinforce its role as a centre for global dialogue, research and scholarship.

“In Qatar, we are creating a new paradigm for museums in the 21st century, redefining their context, philosophies

Train takes the strain If you don’t fancy fighting for a car park space during the exhibition season, hop on Dubai Metro and get off at World Trade Centre station.

A free shuttle bus service will run from the Rashidiya metro station for the short distance to the Airport Expo Dubai during GITEX Shopper.

and operations,” said Qatar Museums Authority Executive Director Roger Mandle.

On another cultural level, Qatar is pulling out all the stops in the next two months to see if it can bring the FIFA World Cup to the Middle East for the first time in 2022, ahead of FIFA’s decision in Zurich on December 2. If successful, it will be world’s first ever cooled outdoor global sporting event.

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EVENT SHOWCASE

Behind the beach party Greg Dufton and Tim Derry have secured a star-studded line-up for Sandance Text: SARAH WALKER Photo: VIKRAM GAWDE

Event: Sandance by Nasimi Beach, October 15 Around 6,000 people are expected to descend on an unspoiled stretch of Nasimi Beach at Atlantis, The Palm, on October 15, all set to experience Sandance – a 12-hour festival which will see the likes of superstar DJ Armand Van Helden, Ibiza dance legends Chicane and Beirut newbies Ronin & Nesta unite on stage.

Behind that stage – most probably in the semi-frantic frenzy that comes with event management territory – will be Tim Derry and Greg Dufton.

The entrepreneurial pair are the founding partners of Think, a company they set up at the start of the year to combine their strengths in marketing, advertising and booking the artists nobody else can get.

Think has brought international acts including Groove Armada and Basement Jaxx to Dubai in its ninemonth lifespan, and the company’s increasingly impressive line-ups have carved Tim and Greg out as the ‘go to’ guys for any venue looking to throw a party with the power to cause a stir.

Sandance is perhaps their most adventurous offering to date. But, in a city where beach parties are as much a part of winter weekends as alfresco dining, how do the Think-ers intend to set theirs apart, and make sure it’s the event that anyone who owns a pair of flip flops would be mad to miss?

Middle East MICE & Events sat down with Tim and Greg as they dig deep into their two decades spent in the thick of the Dubai social scene, and uncover the extenuating commercial circumstances associated with a mere 180m stretch of sand.

18 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

How did you select the artists for Sandance?

Tim: “The acts have been chosen because they complement the venue. We’re hoping when people hear Chicane’s Offshore and Saltwater, and they’re standing on a beach... it will be a moment to make the hairs stand up on the back of their neck.”

How has Dubai reacted so far?

Greg: “We’ve had great feedback. I admit we were a bit uncertain how people would respond to the likes of Chicane and Zero 7, but there are so many people who are extremely excited about seeing them perform.”

Is the event comparable to any other?

Greg: “I have never known a line-up this diverse. What we have tried to do is create a progression, in music and for people to experience personally. Sandance is so mixed musically; we really feel we are going to see a massive cross-section of people, all having a fantastic time.”

Tim: “We have cast our net far wider than just clubbers in their 20s. I think there are a lot of people in our age range (Tim is 41 and Greg is 33) who think they are no longer a ‘nightclub person’, but they will come to an event like this because they appreciate good music and love the beach setting.”

meant the procedure has been smooth.

It took four days from submitting applications to having the stamped licenses in our hands.

This is a large-scale event for a team of two. Are you out of your depth?

Tim: “Definitely not. We are quite lucky that we both have skills in different areas, and the division of tasks seems to happen naturally. We are definitely going to need to get a team together for Sandance, mainly to make sure our artists are having a good time, which is very important to us. And if Think carries on the way it has been, we will need to get more people in full time.”

How much does it cost to put on event of this scale?

Tim: “Atlantis will not get much change from US$250,000.”

How difficult is licensing and gaining the required permits?

Greg: “I have spent seven years dealing with artist licenses in Dubai, so I know exactly what the DTCM need to see. That, coupled with the clean slate relationship Atlantis has with the board already, has

Greg Dufton (left) and Tim Derry turned two decades of burning the Dubai candle at both ends into their successful events company, Think

You launched Think in an uncertain time in Dubai. How has the start-up process been?

Greg: “We we were very cautious with how we approached it – we didn’t spend a fortune on renting office space, for example. We have seen peaks and troughs in the last nine months, but recently things have really taken off for us. To be asked to take on an event like Sandance, by a worldrenowned venue like Atlantis, represents a huge pat on the back for us. It has been a challenge, but we have really enjoyed it.”

Have you seen a downturn in the entertainment industry as a result of the financial crisis and subsequent tightening of purse strings?

Tim: “I think the economy has made people more selective. If they are spending money on a ticket, they expect to be entertained. We have felt the onus is really on us to deliver, now more than ever.”

Name the biggest and best nights in the Think repertoire…

Greg: “Think has been responsible for a host of noteworthy events at Chi nightclub. The ones that have attracted a crowd of 3,000-plus include Groove Armada, Basement Jaxx, 2manyDJs, Sound of Live with the Charlatans, Prime Circle and Athlete.”

You are used to dealing with international artists.

Are they always keen to come to Dubai?

Tim: “There is still a perception that Dubai is richer than everywhere else in the world, so acts and agents tend to expect to be paid higher.

We have to explain to them that this isn’t actually the case, and that we have been hit by the struggle too.”

Greg: “It is not an easy task to get these acts to come to Dubai and we have definitely earned respect within the industry for being able to do that. As a business, I think we now feel we are playing with the big boys.”

What has been your most unusual rider request?

Greg: “Sandance has given us that, actually.

Chicane has asked for a picture of the 80s synthesizer supremo Jean Michel Jarre, so I assume they count him as one of their music idols. I mean that guy is amazing, his was the first concert I ever went to. His music created an atmosphere that nobody had ever experienced before.”

How will you be spending Sandance?

Tim: “We won’t be switching off and enjoying it, that’s for sure. We will be constantly looking at the crowd, the bars, the security, and trying to predict any potential problems.”

Greg: “This is a new and unused stretch of beach, so we have had to put all the infrastructure in from scratch – including toilets, showers and generators. We need to make sure people can park their cars, know where to go, that there is enough security around. There are nerves attached to all of those things, but it is all down to forward planning; which we know we have done.”

You are responsible for showing thousands of people a good time.

Will you do that?

Greg: “The one thing you can’t predict is people, they are the X factor. If an artist is running late, or if there is a sound problem, the vibe can change very quickly. There will always be hitches with any event, but if the crowd remain unaware of them, then we have done our job.”

What part of Sandance are you both looking forward to most?

Greg: “Chicane performing Offshore at sunset.”

Tim: “Watching Lebanese DJs Ronin and Nesta. They are 23, and so excited to be making their debut in Dubai. I can’t wait to see their faces when they perform.”

What has Think taken from the Sandance experience?

Greg: “Having a realistic understanding of your target market is vital, as is working well ahead. We actually have some time to get excited about Sandance… not that we will get to see that much of it on the day!”

SANDANCE: THE LINE-UP

ZERO 7 Million selling chill-out artists, Zero 7, will play a special sunshine DJ set at Sandance.

ARMAND VAN HELDEN The beach beat will really liven up when American DJ, producer and remixer, Armand Van Helden, takes to the decks.

CHICANE Ibiza favourites Chicane will perform a full live set on the shore.

RONIN & NESTA Big in Beirut but debuting in Dubai, Ronin & Nesta will finish the night in Lebanese style.

Tickets for Sandance are Dhs150, available from Virgin Megastore and Nasimi Beach, Atlantis,The Palm MEMICEE.COM MEMICE.COM 19 20

INTERVIEW

Show time

Dubai World Trade Centre CEO Helal Al Marri reflects on past achievements and future prospects as the exhibition season swings into action.

Dubai World Trade Centre is gearing up for the 30th GITEX show.

This year has seen several new and diverse exhibitions that have complemented the major shows – is this in response to market conditions or a permanent strategy moving forwards?

As the region’s leading venue operator and events organiser, our long-term strategy has always been to make Dubai the global hub for leading events, exhibitions and conferences. We showed exceptional performance in the first half of 2010, reporting a 13 per cent rise in event attendance, in excess of the 12 per cent increase in visitor numbers reported at the end of 2009.

The emerging markets represent a significant growth opportunity for us.

20 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

Since January 2010, we have hosted three leading emerging market events, proving that our centre is the primary MICE destination of choice for all markets and verticals seeking to forge business relationships in the Middle East. China is an emerging market superpower, and has unparallel muscle in terms of resource, trade and investment opportunities, making it the leading nation of its class to compete in global trade.

October sees the 30th anniversary of GITEX Technology Week – how would you reflect on the show’s growth and future challenges?

When GITEX launched in 1981, the

show drew 46 exhibitors and just over 3,000 visitors. Since then, it has developed into the essential industry event for the region, which last year attracted 133,000 trade professional from 135 countries to meet 3,500 exhibitors. As the Middle East ICT landscape has developed and progressed, Dubai has grown as an IT hub and GITEX has become the regional platform for technical innovation and investment.

The 30th anniversary show will include a brand new set of features – the introduction of the Global Leaders Summit, the Cloud Confex and the Mobile Apps & Content World, which will make this year’s

INTERVIEW

With the introduction of the Sheikh Saeed Halls, you have created more capacity – but will this be enough to meet projected demand? At what point, in terms of numbers or time scale, is DWTC expected to reach its capacity?

The new extension to the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), Sheikh Saeed Halls, includes four interconnecting halls, including the region’s largest indoor auditorium boasting 14 metre high ceilings and covering over 9,100 square meters – The Trade Centre Arena.

DWTC now provides a total of one million square feet of covered exhibition space, cementing its position as the largest venue in the region.

Helal Al Marri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre.

event even more special and maintain GITEX’s momentum as a truly trendsetting exhibition and critical networking platform for the region.

Randi Zuckerberg, official Facebook spokesperson, Director of Market Development and sister of CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg will provide insights on Facebook’s evolution and Ali Faramawy, Vice President of Microsoft International, and Bhaskar Gorti, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Communications Global Business Unit for Oracle will also be attending.

How would you assess the mood among exhibitors and delegates as we move into the peak exhibition season?

The growth of exhibitors and visitors we have seen so far this year is evidence of the continued confidence that businesses across the region and globally are exercising – a trend we expect to continue. Our first half year performance results showed a healthy increase in attendance across exhibitions, conventions and conferences, with traffic surpassing

630,000 visitors in just six months. We are excited to be kick starting the new exhibition season with five regional exhibitions over three days, which is testament to the increasingly growing confidence and expansion of businesses across a number of sectors.

Has DWTC seen a change in market dynamics following the downturn, or have the core markets remained resilient?

To suggest that market dynamics in the region have been immune to the global downturn would be unrealistic. Key markets recognise the intrinsic value of networking and industry events during challenging times as these platforms offer unique opportunities of networking and trade relations that are not possible otherwise. When you combine networking with facilities that enable open forums which stimulate debate and create new business opportunities, you are presented with a powerful business engine that becomes essential during times of uncertainty.

How would you assess the state of the MICE industry regionally and its prospects for growth?

Despite the economic downturn, the MICE industry in the region has proved to be resilient with firms finding a steady stream of projects. From January to June DWTC alone, hosted nearly 22,000 companies from over 85 countries as part of the 59 exhibitions and conferences.

The outlook for the exhibitions and events industry for the remainder of 2010 and heading into 2011 is positive.

What advice would you give to exhibitors to maximise their market impact?

Exhibitors must have a strategic and tactical plan of action to make the trade show they are participating in act as a powerful dimension of their company’s overall marketing operations. Regardless of the size of your business, the benefits of exhibiting at trade shows and conferences sponsored by regional and international vendors or industry associations far outweigh a reason not to attend. These conferences have been developed in order to give business owners, buyers and managers the opportunity to meet existing suppliers, conduct business meetings, network with other market players and investigate new products. ■ MEMICE.COM 21

CAIRO

Thirst for knowledge With a growing economy despite the global recession, business in Cairo is switching on to the benefits of information-rich MICE events.

LAURA COLLACOTT reports.

Cairo, Towertop

C

airo is Africa’s largest, most populous city and so it stands to reason that most multinational companies head here to set up their African offices and drum up business: around a quarter of Egyptian national commerce is conducted here and the US, UK, France, Germany and Italy are all key trade partners. It follows that this is where countless meetings, events and exhibitions take place, consolidating industry, driving companies and garnering support for new development opportunities.

Christoph Ganster presides over one of the city’s largest and most modern MICE facilities at the Fairmont Towers Heliopolis, Cairo. Although he believes the medical sector is best represented in the city by industry events, Ganster 22 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

says that the segment is growing and will continue to show expansion in the coming months and years, in spite of any recessionary impacts. “The downturn has affected rates, but not the overall volume of business,” he asserts, proving that MICE events are as in a recession as knowledge-sharing, networking and stimulatory opportunities as they are in times of good economic health.

But it hasn’t always been so highly valued. The Cairo International Conference Centre (CICC) forms the hub of business events and exhibitions

but it’s a bit of an ‘old dame’ of a building. The graphic concrete lines of its architecture nod to 1960s design, and that era has been reflected in the development and scheduling of events.

“Over the past two to three years, the Egyptian market has developed a thirst for the kind of information that IIR/ Informa provide. There is no doubt about it; there is huge demand to learn, to network, to benchmark against international standards,” says Alan Kelly Divisional Director and Head of Business Development at IIR. He adds that a

There is no doubt about it; there is huge demand to learn, to network, to benchmark against international standards.

CAIRO

Here, we show you the scope of the facilities available at a selection of the best hotels in the city.

FOUR SEASONS CAIRO AT THE FIRST RESIDENCE Four Seasons has an international reputation for sophistication and the First Residence property does nothing to damage it. Its 564 square metres of meeting and function space boast silk panel walls, mahogany trim and crystal chandeliers along with state-of-the-art staging and audiovisual equipment. Some even overlook the Zoological Gardens. Wired or wifi internet are available in meeting rooms. Special arrangements can be made for clients to purchase welcome amenities including baseball hats, custom-made Egyptian boxes of homemade sweets, Four Seasons postcards, kids’ sweat-shirts, kids’ T-shirts, monogrammed bathrobes, polo shirts and sun visors. www.fourseasons.com/cairofr

Four Seasons Room

220

290

175

-

260

-

Acacia Room

90

120

70

44

110

35

Pre-function area 1

Sofitel, Cairo

-

-

-

-

100

-

Sycamore room

40

50

30

24

40

20

Tamarind room

90

120

70

44

110

35

Palm Room

40

50

30

24

40

20

-

-

-

-

25

-

Pre-function area 2

FAIRMONT HELIOPOLIS & TOWERS

Cairo, Museum

limited exposure to the global downturn has allowed the economy to grow impressively, creating an appetite for more exhibitions.

Currently the majority of events are related to health, infrastructure, ICT, finance and thought leadership, but Kelly comments that “though many events already exist within these sectors, the standards and quality are unfortunately poor.”

Although improvements have steadily been made in the scope and quality of events held by the centre, the decision has been made recently to execute a more purposeful approach to MICE activities, targeting the most relevant industries and hosting world-class events to attract delegates. To this end, the CICC will be turned over to an international

The Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers provides what is without doubt one of the best meeting and event spaces in the city and just a short distance from the international airport. It offers an individual function capacity of 2,200, should you need it, alongside compact, well-serviced boardrooms and graceful ballrooms, all incorporated with top-notch technologies. You can add some ‘va-va-voom’ to your event with the very best sound and light systems or run a slick, effective meeting with Cairo’s highest-speed internet access and teleconferencing equipment.

They might be largely underground – meaning what you gain electronically, you lose in natural light – but that’s not an issue if you’re hosting a night time event. www.fairmont.com/heliopolis

The Canyon Ballroom

1440

2200

1300

-

2500

-

Colored Canyon Ballroom

180

250

144

60

350

72

White Canyon Ballroom

336

500

306

72

500

81

Blue Canyon Ballroom

336

500

306

72

500

81

Rock Canyon Ballroom

180

250

144

60

350

72

-

-

-

-

-

-

Granite

70

100

70

25

100

25

Coral

70

100

70

25

100

25

Onyx

80

120

80

30

120

30

Amber

70

100

70

25

100

25

Turquoise

70

100

70

25

100

25

Canyon Ballroom Prefunction

Banquet

Theater

Classroom

Boardroom

Reception

U-Shape

MEMICE.COM 23

TORONTO

THE CONRAD CAIRO management company next year, which will be tasked with developing a glossy, commercially-tuned convention bureau.

All the groundworks are in place.

Although the building won’t be to everyone’s taste, it has all the spacious facilities that you could need to host almost any event. Like its counterparts across the Middle East, it continues to expand and modernise, adding new halls whenever demand decrees. It currently has 58,000 square metres of space divided between five halls, 1,200 cars can park in the grounds and if exhibitors are running late, they are only a 10-minute dash to the international airport – a selling point in itself, given the city’s notorious traffic.

A CCTV system uses monitors at various intervals in the hallways to offer views of all the halls so that you need not miss out on any vital exhibits. And if you’re wandering aimlessly in between appointments, you can also come here to admire a valuable collection of artwork on display around the building.

Even before the management company takes the reins, the city will see a broad selection of events hosted in all manner of fields. Before the end of the year, it will host events dedicated to fashion, economics, furniture, surgeons, machinery, even the National Democratic Party (to check for any relevant to your company or activities, log onto www.cicc.egnet.net).

In addition to this large international resource are countless hotels and conference centres offering local, regional and international companies facilities in which to meet, brainstorm, congratulate and celebrate. Cairo’s hotel sector is expanding to cater for a new tourism demographic and, although recent reports have suggested that the hospitality industry needs to court the leisure market more post-crunch rather than relying on business users, the MICE sector continues to experience strong demand.

As such, an increasing number of hotels offer modern, sophisticated meetings and events facilities to cater for a variety of budgets. Pick carefully as you can benefit from some stunning backdrops for your events – some organisers even offer black tie receptions in the shadows of the Sphinx.

24 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

If you prefer to be close to the iconic Nile for your events, consider the Conrad Cairo and its 3,500 square metres of function space, divided into 11 rooms. The property can host meetings of all sizes, from eight-person board gatherings to 1,200 person razzle-dazzle receptions. The property may be slightly older than some of its competitors but it can provide a traditionally grand backdrop for events of all description. The catering team can create a memorable culinary experience, from intimate candlelight dining to casual poolside parties, and leisurely drinks in the piano bar. conrad.hilton.com/Cairo

Conrad Ballroom

750

1000

550

-

1200

-

Conrad Ballroom A

250

250

150

-

300

50

Conrad Ballroom B

250

250

150

-

300

50

Conrad Ballroom C

250

250

150

-

300

50

Conrad Foyer

-

-

-

-

300

-

Nile Ballroom

250

250

180

-

300

70

Nile Ballroom I

60

80

36

-

80

36

Nile Ballroom II

60

80

36

-

80

36

Nile Ballroom III

60

80

36

-

80

36

Aida + Cleopatra

80

100

70

-

80

42

Aida

40

40

30

-

40

25

† Cleopatra

40

40

30

-

40

25

† Nefertiti + Isis

80

100

70

-

80

42

† Nefertiti

40

40

30

-

40

25

† Isis

40

40

30

-

40

25

-

-

-

16

-

-

Ra Boardroom Amun Boardroom

-

-

-

16

-

-

Horus Boardroom

-

-

-

16

-

-

Osiris Boardroom Salon Diplomat

-

-

-

10

-

-

250

300

180

-

250

70

SOFITEL CAIRO EL GEZIRAH Also on the banks of the Nile and refurbished in 2007, the Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah has direct, private access to a riverside promenade as well as 850 square metres of meeting space serviced by a dedicated meetings team. It has seven different rooms furnished in individual styles with the latest audio-visual equipment and video conferencing facilities. Book here for a sophisticated event for anywhere from 20 to 500 people. www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-5307-sofitel-cairo-el-gezirah

Champs-Elyses 1

30

40

20

18

-

20

Champs-Elyses 2

30

40

20

18

-

20

Champs-Elyses 3

60

80

40

36

-

40

-

-

-

15

-

-

Concorde Etoile Opera 1

-

-

-

18

-

-

130

200

120

50

-

50

Opera 2

150

200

165

50

-

50

Opera 3

280

400

270

100

-

90

St Germain

120

-

-

-

-

-

Madeleine

20

30

20

20

-

20

VENUE REVIEW

Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi This well-known hotel features over 3,700sqm of indoor and outdoor conference space and seafront outdoor function space, making it a favourite with discerning MICE organizers. The Al Thuraya Grand Ballroom with its 1250sqm area can accommodate up to 1500 guests. Equipped with excellent acoustics and an intricate lighting system, it features sophisticated audio-visual systems making it an ideal venue for functions ranging from conferences and seminars to fashion shows, concerts, gala dinners and product launches. An elegantly marbled pre-function area, along with seven meeting rooms, defines the hotel as the ultimate conference and banqueting destination.

Exhibition spaces: Two large ballrooms Largest space: 50x22m Ceiling space: 6m Outdoor Exhibition spaces: Beach Garden Total Number of Meeting rooms: 12 Ballroom details Al Thuraya Ballroom : 1100m Height: 3.5x3.5m Classroom : 550 Cocktail: 1000 Banquet style: 900 Auditorium Area: No Technical / AV equipement: Wireless high–speed internet connection, business centre with professional secretarial support, Plasma TV , Video conferencing facility in all ballrooms and meeting rooms, 24-channel mixing console.

Other Facilities: Ten classyfood and beverage venues, each with its own ambience, service and cuisine.

MEMICE.COM 25

Blowing TORONTO

hot and cold

Toronto is scaling the league of premier events destinations thanks to its impressive convention venues and developed infrastructure, discovers YAD HUSSAIN. Photos:Tourism Toronto

W

hen Bollywood beckons these days, you know you have hit the big time. Toronto will become the first North American city to host the 12th edition of the wildly successful International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) – known as the ‘Oscars’ of the Indian film industry – in 2011, confirming that Toronto has truly arrived as a destination for major relevant international events.

Of course, this is not the first major international event that Toronto has ever hosted, but it could well be the coolest, and officials certainly feel it’s a major coup for the city in the fiercely 26 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

competitive international events arena.

“With so many film buffs living in Ontario, Indian film stars and executives will feel right at home,” said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. “Our standing as the host of the Toronto International Film Festival put us in really good stead. We have the knowhow, we’ve got the experience and the infrastructure.”

Indeed, The Toronto International Film Festival has put the city on the entertainment map as Hollywood glitterati have been congregating each year since 1978 to premiere their latest movies.

But beyond the paparazzi and the fluttering fake eyelashes of Bollywood

and Hollywood divas, hosting showbiz events is serious business and part of the MICE industry that serves as a crucial cog in the machinery of any successful economy. And McGuinty is spot on, Toronto has earned a solid reputation of staging world-class events thanks to its superb infrastructure and A-grade venues.

It has not been easy to make its mark, given that Toronto is in a tough region with equally attractive propositions such as New York, Washington, Miami, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles jostling for exhibitor attention.

But Toronto recently beat some of its more well-known rivals in a survey conducted by the authoritative Watkins

TORONTO

Research Group, ranking first among 46 cities in North America for “Superior Convention and Visitors Bureau/ Destination Marketing Organization and for “Superior Convention Centre Services” for Tourism Toronto and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, respectively.

Tourism Toronto – Toronto’s Convention and Visitors Association – is an industry body of 1,200-plus members, which aims to market the city as a tourist, business and convention destination, while Metro Toronto Convention Centre is the country’s biggest trade show and convention venue.

Watkins surveyed more than 600

meeting planners across North America on a range of meeting and conventions industry criteria, and Toronto ranked in the top five in six of the eight measures. “ Toronto’s steady, positive progress to its now highly respected position indicates that its whole convention community listens to what meeting planners want and responds cohesively,” said Curt Watkins, Principal, Watkins Research Group Inc. “Research attunes destinations to changing needs. When the entire convention community in a city pays attention to where research points, the city inevitably is perceived as a highly desirable destination.”

David Ogilvie, Regional VP of Starwood Hotels & Resorts and

Chair of Tourism Toronto’s Board of Directors, says: “Our community’s commitment to customer service and the spirit of our ‘We’ve Been Expecting You’ programme is really paying dividends for Toronto and our clients.

I’m gratified to see that all components of the experience – host hotels, convention centre and, of course, the number one Convention and Visitor Bureau in North America – receive this kind of recognition.”

Underpinning this achievement is Toronto’s impressive range of convention venues. With 600,000sq ft of meeting space, 64 meeting rooms and 1,330-capacity theatre, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) MEMICE.COM 27

TORONTO

Gahat room, The Address Marina. .

The International Centre is the go-to place for many business-to-consumer events.The 48,000sqft centre recently had a $13 million facelift. is Canada’s most well-known trade show and convention facility. The venue hosted the G20 Summit in June, featuring leaders of the 20 largest economies of the world. While the event was marred by trade protestors, the summit itself went off smoothly inside as the talking shop of the world’s most influential leaders.

But MTCC isn’t the biggest facility – that honour goes to the Toronto Congress Centre, which is the country’s largest privately owned convention venue. It recently doubled its meeting space to 1m sqft and has emerged as the venue for many B2B events across North America, such as the Canadian 28 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

Franchise Exhibition and the Canadian Hockey Show.

The International Centre is the go-to place for many business-to-consumer events. The 48,000sqft centre recently had a $13 million facelift, including a $2 million eco-friendly kitchen in response to the many food and beverage events it holds throughout the year.

Hands down, the most picturesque venue is the Exhibition Place, set alongside Lake Ontario on 192 acres of land and featuring a range of facilities, including the Direct Energy Centre Exhibition and the 160,000 sqft Allstream Centre. The venue hosts more than 100 events each year,

including the annual 129-year-old Canadian National Exhibition.

While conventional convention centres do roaring business, what sets Toronto apart is its string of eclectic venues, including the superlative Skydome, now called The Rogers Centre, and Air Canada Centre for major sporting and entertainment events, while the jagged lines of Royal Ontario Museum serve as the perfect setting for cultural events and art exhibitions. One mustn’t forget the stunning world-famous Niagara Falls region too, which is less than a twohour drive from Toronto and boasts its own set of exhibition facilities.

Mix business with pleasure Toronto, the largest city in Ontario province, and indeed Canada, laid out the welcome mat for nearly 10 million people last year, generating $4 billion in annual

TORONTO The Address Marina, pool area.

spending and employing 154,000 people.

Business tourism raked in more than $305 million in tourism spending in Toronto in 2009, from 1.56 million business visitors, and the city knows full well this is where the big spending takes place.

You would think execs have less Lobby area, Marina. time to visit the malls and entertain themselves, but an average business tourist to Toronto spends $674, double the leisure tourist spend. International business visitors to the city give their credit cards an even more intense workout, clocking in $1,252 per visit.

So where do they find the time, between hectic meeting schedules and endless power-point presentations?

The clue is in the city’s 135 culturally diverse neighbourhoods, making it a vibrant social and cultural place to explore once the keynote speeches are over and all the awards have been handed out.

The city boasts gleaming shopping centres and diverse set of neighbourhoods such as Bloor-Yorkville, Gerard Street, Little Italy and Distillery District, featuring quaint eateries, restaurants and venues that heave with multi-cultural humanity and offer very attractive after-hour pastimes and networking opportunities with business associates. Connoisseurs will confirm that this is where the real deals are done long after the hand-shaking and business-card swapping has occurred during the day-time meetings.

The city has no shortage of landmarks to enthrall its visitors too.

First, and certainly the tallest, is the CN Tower which held the title of the tallest structure in the world until Burj Khalifa eclipsed it earlier this year.

Still, the 553-metre structure is giddily high enough for 7.2 million survey respondents to say they would love

to visit the tower within the next two years. The tower’s 360 Restaurant – which, predictably, offers a 360-degreeview of the city at the top – is worth the effort alone, complete with the world’s highest drinks cellar.

For the culturally inclined, there are no less than 125 museums and galleries to visit, from the fantastically mainstream Royal Ontario Museum to the wonderfully bizarre Bata Shoe Museum.

While the city has ensured that it remains culturally vibrant and ensures extremely livable, eco-friendly and relevant in its varied and various neighbourhoods, the downtown’s heart is firmly in business and that’s what keeps the economic engine of the city humming.

The city skyline is in the midst of a transformation with 53 new corporate towers and new business hotels under MEMICE.COM 29

TORONTO

construction, despite the worldwide decline in construction projects. While Canada has not escaped the global financial meltdown, it has fared better than most other developed nations and continues to generate stable economic growth in tough global economic conditions.

A new 53-storey Ritz-Carlton, which is set to open later in the year, will add razzmatazz to Toronto’s clutch of worldclass hotels, while Donald Trump’s first Canadian venture, Trump International Hotel and Tower, will open in 2011.

Anyone who knows ‘The Don’ knows it will be a gleaming tall structure, with luxury running through its core.

Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, a new classy boutique hotel, is also set to open its doors soon, featuring 171 guest rooms and 5,000sqft of meeting space.

To stay ahead of the curve and its equally ambitious rivals, Toronto has trained its sights on new growth opportunities. Apart from the IIFA festival which Toronto hopes would catch the eye of Indian businesses, the Canadian Government has successfully lobbied with the Chinese Government to get an “approved destination status” making it easier for the prospering Chinese businessmen to visit the country.

Chinese tourists already have the highest average length of stay in Canada and spend $1,650 on average, more than visitors from any other country. The approved destination status is expected to boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50% by 2015.

Such business acumen will ensure that Toronto’s business tourism will continue to thrive and remain relevant in the changing international business landscape.

Key to success Toronto’s cheaper hotel rates have been a great incentive for international exhibitors to host their events in the city.

North American Average Daily Hotel Rates City

2008

2009

Change

($)

($)

(%)

New York

275

215

-21.8

Oahu Island

169

150

-11.6

Washington

153

145

-5.4

Miami-Hialeah

160

141

-12.1

Boston

154

137

-10.5

Vancouver

145

136

-6.0

San Francisco

156

134

-14.4

Toronto

144

130

-10.0

Montreal

136

128

- 6.0

San Diego

142

124

-12.7

Source: Tourism Toronto

Toronto’s Ranking in North America* 2008

2010

Superior CVB/ Destination Marketing Organization

8

1

Superior convention centre services

16

1

Hotels well suited for my largest meeting

12

4

Great all around convention city

5

4

Superior convention facilities

21

5

Safe and secure

10

5

Easy accessibility within the city

9

7

Easy to get to

15

17

*Watkins Research Group study 30 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

GADGETS

Rules of engagement Audience interactivity is now all the rage in presentation circles with new systems designed to stimulate delegates and enhance their learning.

P

owerPoint® has been the presentation tool of choice used by presenters all over the world for many years. While PowerPoint® seemed like a great evolution, we have now become all too familiar with the phrase “Death by PowerPoint®”. So where did we go wrong?

Research has shown that in order for deep learning to occur over surface learning, we need to be actively engaged and involved in the learning process. So the standard practice of ‘lecturing’ to your audience is no longer good enough, and the objective must be how best to engage our audience and ensure they become active participants, rather than traditional passive note-takers.

Audience response systems have been available for some time now but have previously been prohibitive in their cost, ease of use and portability. This has all changed, with small, affordable, plug-andplay systems now available. Corporate Events and Training companies in the UK and US have embraced this technology for some time, and recorded positive results.

From the presenter’s perspective, it instantly creates a rapport with the audience then keeps their minds actively engaged, alert and listening. For the audience, they feel involved, their opinion counts, they can anonymously see what everyone thinks and it keeps their interest because the presentation becomes more relevant.

From the organiser’s viewpoint, it improves communication and provides useful information, it is quick at identifying the most crucial issues and saves meeting time, allowing everyone to vote and providing a definite outcome.

In this fast-paced and changing world, we need to embrace tools such as Audience Response Systems which enable us to provide environments for learning that appeal to all walks of life and learning styles. We can no longer rest on our laurels and be content to continue to do things the way we always have, and why should we or would we want to, when we have such valuable tools available to assist us?

Here are some of the latest products which will help you interact with your next audience.

IML Connector www.iml.co.uk

In response to event producer demands, the IML Connector is designed to reduce the amount of hardware that delegates often require to fully participate in events. It combines, in a single handheld device, instant voting with fully configurable menus and choices, plus AV capabilities including simultaneous interpretation; ‘push-to-talk’ and queuing functionality that allows delegates to ask questions without waiting for the roving microphone; and multiple audio channels and a portable PA system to enable sound reinforcement without the need for external speakers.

Rather than the industry-standard alpha-numeric keypad, the IML Connector has a QWERTY keyboard and an OLED colour screen for multi-media and high resolution graphics, enabling longer and more detailed question and answer sessions.

The device even contains an accelerometer to detect tilt and orientation – so it could be used to capture an actual show of hands.

Poken www.poken.com

Poken is a technology that allows the exchange of online social networking data between two keychain accessories. Each person involved in the exchange must have his or her own poken. The primary information exchanged via the poken is a ‘social business card’, a digital replacement for a physical business card. By touching two devices together, a unique ID is exchanged that links to contact information on the Poken website. Contact information acquired by use of the poken can be uploaded to the poken website using a built-in USB connector. In addition to the contact information found on a typical business card, links to users’ social networks can also be added. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and 40-plus other social networks. Users of the Poken website can use a ‘social dashboard’ to manage, and interact with their contacts. Pokens are used for social networking, personal identification and as a device for loyalty programs.

Twitterfall www.twitterfall.com

Twitterfall is a UK-based website designed to allow users of the social networking site, Twitter, to view upcoming trends and patterns posted by users in the form of tweets. At events, specific hashtags may be used to view a chain of tweets on a projected screen. Audience members’ tweet using their web-enabled smart phones or laptops, so an internet connection is required. This engages the audience in a personal way as members can see their specific comments on screen.

In February 2009, it was revealed that the site was projected onto a wall at The Daily Telegraph to allow its journalists to view breaking news posted by users to Twitter.

Contributed by John Quinn of SatelliteVisual Communication.

MEMICE.COM 31

EXHIBITION & EVENTS CALENDAR GCC REGION

October 2010 GCC Power 2010 Oct 1-4 Venue: Doha Exhibition Center Organiser: International Fairs & Promotions Construction Claim Management Oct 3-4 Venue: Sheraton Hotel, Abu Dhabi Organiser: Marcus Evans Sponsorship Evaluation Oct 3-4 Venue: Sheraton Hotel, Abu Dhabi Organiser: Marcus Evans

Saudi Water & Power Forum 2010 Oct 3-6 Venue: Jeddah Hilton, Jeddah, KSA Organiser: CWC Group Power-Gen Middle East Oct 4-6 Venue: Qatar International Exhibition Centre Organiser: PennWell Cityscape Dubai 2010 Oct 4-7 Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser: IIR MIDDLE EAST

EXHIBITIONS

Recycling & Waste Management Saudi Arabia 2010 Oct 4-7 Venue: Riyadh International Exhibition Center Organiser: Riyadh Exhibition Company

The Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership Oct 5 Venue: Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE Organiser: Frost & Sullivan

Saudi Agriculture Oct 4-7 Venue: Riyadh International Exhibition Center Organiser: Riyadh Exhibitions Company

International Education Show 2010 Oct 6-8 Venue: Expo Centre Sharjah Organiser: Expo Centre Sharjah

Saudi Packaging 2010 Oct 4-7 Venue: Riyadh International Exhibition Center Organiser: Riyadh Exhibition Company

Dubai International Jewellery Week Oct 7-10 Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser: Dubai World Trade Centre

MEMICE.COM 33

EXHIBITIONS

3rd Saudi Arabia International Oil & Gas Exhibition & Conference Oct 10-12 Venue: Dhahran International Exhibition Centre, Dammam Organiser: International Exhibition Services Kuwait International Property Show Oct 11-15 Venue: Kuwait International Fair Organiser: Kuwait International Fairs Company 2010 Middle East Coffee & Tea Convention Oct 12-14 Venue: Al Bustan Rotana Conventiion Centre, Dubai Organiser: ICE Arabic Books Exhibition Oct 13-23 Venue: Kuwait International Fair Organiser: Kuwait International Fairs Company GITEX Computer Shopper Oct 16-23 Venue: Airport Expo Centre Organiser: Dubai World Trade Centre Strategic Media Communication Oct 24-25 Venue: Dubai Organiser: Marcus Evans

4th Dubai Helishow Nov 2-4 Venue: Dubai Airport Expo Centre Organisers: Mediac Communication & Exhibition LLC

Internal Auditors Forum Oct 24-26 Venue: Dubai Organiser: Marcus Evans

INDEX Exhibition 2010 Nov 8-11 Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organisers: DMG Worldwide Media

Abu Dhabi Aerospace Summit Oct 24-27 Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre Organiser: Streamline Marketing Group

Advanced Negotiation for Project Management Nov 21-22 Venue: Abu Dhabi Organiser: Marcus Evans

Business Travel Show Oct 25-26 Venue: Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Dubai Organiser: Centaur Exhibitions

Holiday and Travel Show & Sehaya 2010 Nov 11-13 Venue: ADNEC Organiser: Al Hader for Exhibitions and Conferences

November 2010 GCC Cards Summit 2010 Nov 1-3 Venue: Movenpick Hotel, Bahrain Organiser: Veritus Events

GETEX 2010- Kuwait Nov 24-25 Venue: Crowne Plaza, Farwaniya, Kuwait Organisers: International Conferences & Exhibitions

ADIPEC 2010 Nov 1-4 Venue: Abu Dhabi Organiser: DMG worldwide events

SIM EXPO Nov 28-30 Venue: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi Organiser: IIR Middle East

34 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010

MEMEX 2010 Nov 28-30 Venue: ADNEC Organiser: IIR Middle East

Aviation Dec 7-9 Venue: Airport Expo Dubai Organiser: Fairs and Exhibitions

BEAUTY VISION 2010 Nov 28-30 Venue: ADNEC Organisers: Channels Exhibitions

Saudi International Boat Show Dec 8-11 Venue: Al Furusya Marina & Yacht Club, Jeddah Organiser: Dubai World Trade Centre

Power Generation MEA Summit 2010 Nov 29-01 Dec Venue: Park Hyatt Dubai Organiser: Marcus Evans Carbon Capture and Storage World MENA 2010 Nov 29-01 Dec Venue: Movenpick Hotel, Dubai Organiser: Terrapinn

December 2010 Motor Show 2010 Dec 1-4 Venue: Oman International Exhibition Centre, Muscat Organiser: Omanexpo LLC Riyadh Motor Show 2010 Dec 5-9 Venue: Riyadh Exhibition Centre Organiser: Riyadh Exhibition Company MEBA – Middle East Business

MMS-Media & Marketing Show 2010 Dec 13-15 Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser: Domus Communications 25th International Autumn Trade Fair (IATF) 2010 Dec 13-15 Venue: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organisers: Al Fajer Information and Services

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