Category Archives: Exhibitions

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed that it participated in the worldwide celebrations of Global Exhibitions Day (GED)  recently, highlighting the strategic importance of the MICE industry to the growth of world economies. The GED initiative, which began in 2016, has seen an ever-growing number of participants and is actively supported by 40 exhibition industry associations and coordinated by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. As with previous GED events, industry professionals and students from around the world have been very active in online campaigns this year, while many global organizations hosted and organized events marking the day’s significance. Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO of ADNEC said, “These are truly exciting times for the global MICE industry as analysts are predicting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5 per cent in the next five years and reaching USD 1.24 billion in 2023. Rapid globalisation along with the expansion of service industries and the continuing emergence of newer technologies have become key drivers in this industry’s continuous growth. In line with this, ADNEC is confident that it will be a key player in the growth–remaining steadfast in our commitment to provide world class services and facilities to the region. We join the whole world as it celebrates GED on June 6, which aims to highlight the importance of the MICE industry for world economies. With over 260 million visitors and 4.4 million exhibitors generating EUR 98 billion (AED 422 billion) in revenues every year, the MICE industry contributes significantly to the GDP of every country in the world.”

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed plans to develop its Hall 4, one of the spaces being offered for conferences and similar events. The move is aimed at addressing the growing demand for its award-winning venue, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, as a host for regional and global conferences and corporate events. The planned development will ensure a better experience for existing and potential conferences and meetings clients as well as the attending delegates. Hall 4, strategically located adjacent to the multi-purpose Atrium, will be divided into three fully equipped event spaces, each capable of hosting 1,000 delegates. Work on the project is expected to be completed this year, in time for 2019, when the centre will host strategic, global congresses that will boost Abu Dhabi’s position on the global map as a hub for regional and international conferences and events. Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Acting Chief Commercial Officer, ADNEC said, “The newly developed meeting rooms, with their strategic locations will enable our conference clients to configure all aspects of their events in a logical and convenient manner. The new rooms are also adjacent to ADNEC’s existing conference suites, the Innovation Lab and the recently refurbished 76 Restaurant, making it apt for expansion and customisation.”

Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau and a division of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), has recently showcased Dubai’s dynamic business events offering and services to more than 9,000 international meetings, events, and incentives industry professionals at IMEX Frankfurt, held at Messe Frankfurt. Alongside its co-exhibitors, DBE is showcasing the latest developments in Dubai’s world-class offerings which include state-of-the-art facilities, infrastructure and the city’s renowned hospitality sector, further cementing the city’s status as a major business events destination. DBE has brought 24 stakeholders and partners to the global trade show as co-exhibitors, including Emirates Airline, Expo 2020 Dubai and Jumeirah Group, offering a holistic view of Dubai’s business events infrastructure as the city engages with the industry on the international stage. Expanding on these efforts, DBE continues to successfully host global activities, including immersive roadshows hosted in markets around the world, which create a unique platform to meet and engage with decision makers and executives in the meetings, associations and events industry. So far, DBE conducted roadshows across Europe, China, Southeast Asia and North America, while a number of future missions are planned to take place across India, Northeast Asia, the UK, Scandinavia and Russia over the course of the year.

The second edition of ITB China opened doors with an expected attendee number of 15,000, more than 700 exhibitors from 80 countries and around 800 buyers at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, with high-ranking industry representatives attending the occasion. The three-day B2B travel trade fair shows significant growth after its premiere. The success of ITB China, taking place from May 16 to May 18 in Shanghai, is reflected in the 50 per cent increase of the gross exhibition area compared to last year. ITB China is targeted exclusively by handpicked B2B visitors involved in China’s travel industry selected strictly in accordance with the interests of the exhibiting companies. A total of 2,700 attendees are expected to take part in the lectures, discussions and keynotes of the ITB China Conference, supported by more than 120 industry speakers. The recognizsd travel think tank, running parallel to ITB China, will invite business leaders and experts both from China and abroad to deliver their expertise and ideas on market hotspots in the industry. Christian Göke, CEO Messe Berlin said,  “For the next three days all eyes will be on ITB China in Shanghai. The demand from exhibitors has significantly increased and ITB China 2018 attracts growing numbers of Chinese decision-makers. After its great premiere last year ITB China continues riding the wave of success”. On the eve of the show, the second ITB China kicked off with a dinner with 600 senior guests from the global and Chinese travel industry, among others Bourne Sun, Senior Vice President, Ctrip and Steven Shu, Chief Marketing Officer, Meituan-Dianping.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and Patron of Airport Show, opened the 18th edition of Airport Show in Dubai. Opening the event, Al Maktoum said contribution of the aviation sector to Dubai’s GDP has been growing steadily and is expected to reach 38 per cent, thus creating more jobs and aiding overall growth. Earlier, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed inaugurated this year’s Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) running parallel to the Show. Speaking on the sidelines after touring the exhibition area, he said on the new initiatives of the Dubai government to increase investments and instill confidence in the private sector. The 18th edition of Airport Show features two new co-located events, Air Traffic Control Forum, Airport Security Middle East, in addition to CAPA-Centre of Aviation Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF) and women in aviation. Dubai Civil Aviation Authority Director General HE Mohammed Abdullah Ahli said: “Our participation in the show is in line with our objectives of benefiting from the latest knowledge and expertise along with the best practices in managing air traffic growth.” The Middle East aviation industry is witnessing an exciting time with the region recording the second highest passenger traffic growth rate and continuing with its multi-billion-dollar airport expansion and modernisation programs.

Muslim travellers will spend $157 billion by 2020, as revealed at the Arabian Travel Market 2018 and the top outbound market remains Saudi Arabia, which will grow 17 per cent over the next three years alone, to reach $27.9 billion. During the first seminar, entitled ‘Halal Tourism – How far have we come?’ Faeez Fadhlillah, Founder and CEO, Salam Standard and Tripfez, highlighted the growing importance of Muslim millennial travellers illustrated by the changing global socio-economic trends and underscored the potential pent up demand. “The biggest countries and some of the fastest growing economies in the world are found in Asia and the Middle East. These regions typically have large Muslim populations which are young with prosperous middle classes. In addition, second and third generation Muslim communities in developed economies such as Europe and North America now have far more purchasing power and overall, their combined growth generates increased demand for faith-based travel and tourism,” Fadhlillah said. During the second seminar, ‘Halal travel becomes mainstream’, Omar Ahmed, Founder and CEO, Sociable Earth, revealed some of the key results from a recent survey, in which 35,000 Muslim travellers participated. “Certainly, the halal travel market has graduated from its niche status to become an industry-shaping force, in its own right. It has become mainstream,” said Ahmed. “It is also clear that mainstream travel and tourism organisations will now have to become far more pro-active, if they want to attract increasing numbers of Halal travellers and tap into the potential of this massive market,” added Ahmed.

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, has inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 today, marking the start of the 25th edition of the show. He was joined by Nick Pilbream, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, and other VIPs who embarked on a tour of the exhibition as the four-day industry showcase got underway. This year’s show, held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, 2018, has more than 400 main stand holders with representation from over 150 countries. With more than 40,000 visitors expected to attend, ATM 2018 will showcase over 2,500 exhibiting companies and 65 national pavilions. ATM 2018 has adopted Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities. Arabian Travel Market celebrated its silver jubilee with over 2,500 exhibitors and 40,000 industry professionals from 150 countries. Travel trade professionals from across the world’s hospitality industry will showcase the largest exhibition of regional and global hotel brands, with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area. ATM 2018 will welcome over 2,500 confirmed exhibitors including 65 national pavilions. More than 100 new exhibitors are set to make their ATM debut this year, including Visit Finland, Guizhou Province of China, Hungarian Tourism Agency, Polish Tourist Organisation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubai Municipality Leisure Facilities Department, Yas Experiences, Indigo Airlines, Kurdistan Tourism, Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, to name a few.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Arabian Travel Market press conference has kicked off amidst a crowd of local and international media at the Address Boulevard Dubai . Simon Press, Director Reed Exhibitions for ATM and WTM stated that this year they expect over 40,000 visitors and 2,500 exhibitors from over 100 countries at the event. Issam Kaim, CEO, DTCM reiterated their efforts to attract more travellers to the destination by various programmes implemented with their partners and stakeholders to enable 20 million visitors by 2020 and beyond. The latest news shared from DTCM and Emirates was the plan to introduce a transit visa package to those who travel to different destinations via Dubai. Olivier Harnisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group shared the latest trends seen in the region and the introduction of a unique brand aimed at the millennials who would spend less time in the hotel room but more time on other activities of entertainment and leisure. This supports the overall vision of Dubai tourism to further go ahead with their 2020 strategy to attract the type of clientele they seek.

Riyadh Travel Fair (RTF) 2018 opened doors for the tenth consecutive year in Riyadh, with more than 300 exhibitors from 55 countries. The fair, organised by ASAS Exhibition and Conference Organising Company, is being held at Prince Sultan Grand Hall, Al Faisaliah Hotel, from April 10-13, 2018. The fair was inaugurated by Hamad Ali Alshowair, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Riyadh Chamber. The four-day event will become the focus of business networking opportunities, insightful seminar sessions, discussions and recognition of the tourism industry’s achievements. Bander Algryni, General Manager, ASAS Exhibitions, said: “The 2018 edition is the largest Riyadh Travel Fair to date, thereby extending our prominence as the leading travel and tourism exhibition in the kingdom. More than 270 exhibitors from tourism boards, airlines, tour operators and hotels from more than 60 countries are currently present in the exhibition. It’s been a year of growth for not only the tourism and hospitality industry in the Kingdom, but also for RTF.” RTF 2018 show holds its strong Middle East support with 60 per cent of exhibiting companies from the GCC region including Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, Government of Sharjah (Commerce & Tourism Development Authority), Ministry of Tourism Bahrain, Oman Tourism, besides featuring many firsts for the travel trade and consumer show.

Oman Air recently showcased its products at the Philippines Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) Travel Tour Expo and the Thai International Travel Fair (TITF). Both events provided a platform for the airline to showcase its latest news and products. Some 335 companies exhibited at the SMX Convention Centre in Pasay City, where more than 140,000 people attended over the course of the three day PTAA event. The exhibition hosted key representatives from airlines, travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, food concessionaires, government agencies and tourist organisations from across the world. The event allowed Oman Air officials the opportunity to promote Oman as a world-class destination to the growing Filipino travel market. ‎The airline was able to educate its fellow industry officials and new guests on the airline’s aircraft, upcoming routes, flight networks and frequency in general.