Tag Archives: Dubai World Trade Centre

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Raging Tiger Events, the exclusive representative of Wedding Design Company (WDC), India’s leading destination wedding planning company. This partnership, enabled through DXB Live, the experiential arm of DWTC, is set to promote Dubai as the preferred wedding destination for Indian weddings, and give UAE residents easier access to their dream wedding at international destinations of their choice. Launched over 15 years ago, Wedding Design Company is one of India’s most renowned wedding planners, and is known to organise high-profile marriage ceremonies for the who’s who of Bollywood and the business industry, featuring exclusive guest lists. This includes the recently orchestrated nuptials of India’s most illustrated business moguls, the Ambani family, as well as Bollywood celebrities Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh at Lake Como, Italy. Vandana Mohan, Founder and Owner of Wedding Design Company, said, “WDC was conceived out of a desire to inspire people to live out their fantasy by creating dream weddings. We have decades of experience of organising customised weddings in exotic locations ranging from Florence, St. Moritz and Ibiza to ancient palaces and forts in India. Dubai is already a popular wedding destination and we want to raise its profile by making it the most preferred wedding destination for Indians, whether they live in India, the UAE or elsewhere.” Khalid Al Hammadi, Senior Vice President – DXB Live, DWTC, said, “DWTC has a strong heritage of hosting bespoke weddings of all scales and sizes. In addition to offering flexible event space that can host large scale celebrations or intimate gatherings, we also have the in-house capability to handle every aspect of the event from …

The impact of disruptive technologies on the tourism industry is set to create multi-billion dollar savings through the use of IoT, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and wearable technology according to data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, set to take place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28 to May 1, 2019. The latest research from Colliers International, in partnership with ATM 2019, reveals that in addition to vast cost savings, the customer experience is set to be more streamlined with travel set to become better, smoother and more personalised with travel bookings on VR platforms, AI chatbots guiding customers through the booking process and IoT providing internet based inter-connectivity between everyday devices. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “Technology, and the use of technology, is evolving every day. The tourism industry is at the very forefront of tech innovation with companies investing huge sums of money to improve the customer journey and experience.” ATM 2019 has adopted cutting-edge technology and innovation as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities, including focused seminar sessions. Discussing the defining evolutions of hospitality technology, the Travel Tech Show will return to ATM 2019 with 45 dedicated international exhibitors and an influential agenda of discussion and debate in the Travel Tech Theatre – sponsored by Sabre Corporation. Launching this year will be the inaugural Arabian Travel Week, an umbrella brand which comprises four co-located shows: ATM 2019; Connect Middle East, India and Africa – a new route development forum, ILTM Arabia and new consumer-led event – ATM Holiday Shopper.

Set to be held from April 30 to May 1, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals. Fourteen airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre. Senior network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir, flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the inaugural route development forum. Throughout 2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of consistent and substantial growth – according to research from Colliers International – based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia and IndiGo airlines. Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency, said, “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa forum. With up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline and  industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airports and suppliers.” Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said, “It is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the …

The latest addition to Dubai’s hospitality inventory is the opening of 326-roomed Hilton Garden Inn Dubai Al Jadaf Culture Village. The hotel enjoys an ideal location between Dubai International Airport and Downtown Dubai and is just 100 meters from Al Jadaf Metro station with easy access to the Dubai Mall, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and other key destinations in the city. Al Jadaf is one of the most historically significant neighbourhood’s in Dubai as it was the first hub for traditional dhow vessel building and repairing – putting it at the heart of the city’s vital trade routes. It remains the last location where dhows are crafted and with significant investment is shaping up to be a truly unique tourist destination in the region. “I am delighted to be opening Dubai’s fourth Hilton Garden Inn in Al Jadaf. While staying at the beautifully designed hotel, guests can relax by the rooftop pool, work out at the fitness centre, dine at the restaurant or attend an event in one of the spacious meeting rooms. I look forward to welcoming guests to this exciting new property,” said Jose Luis Ruiz Arroyo, General Manager, Hilton Garden Inn Dubai Al Jadaf Culture Village.  

Dubai World Trade Centre’s One Central has completed the last phase of its commercial and retail development ahead of schedule. With the release of 742,000 square feet of Grade A office space, the commercial and retail component is now complete and brings the total completed commercial and retail space in One Central to 1.72 million square feet, complete with a four-level basement of 4,380 parking spaces. The rapid pace of development of Dubai’s newest free zone business district reaffirms DWTC’s role as a destination developer and is set to further draw international businesses to set up base in Dubai. One Central offers an inter-connected space, seamlessly integrating offices, retail, residences, hotels and a wide variety of F&B offerings to DWTC’s mega-events venue and the wider city through a world-class transportation network. The next phase for development is AccorHotels’ 25-hours Hotel Dubai One Central, scheduled to be completed by June 2020. The hotel will be making its regional debut of the German hospitality brand outside Europe, and will be the largest brand in the world with 434 rooms. The hotel will feature a mix of modern rooms and suites with an eclectic mix of arabesque design elements. Once completed, One Central development will be a new urban destination with commercial office, retail, hospitality, residential, car park and open green spaces. Hotel accommodation will range from affordable hospitality, perfect for corporate stays, to premium accommodation for the leisure traveller. Gurjit Singh, Senior Vice President — Real Estate, DWTC said, “Through place making and place management, we have created a new top-of-mind vibrant urban destination with One Central, one that offers a competitive advantage with excellent locational connectivity. It is designed to address …

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has announced another successful year for its consumer and entertainment events as it closes 2018 having hosted over 500,000 visitors across more than 29 events. This shows approximately 7 per cent increase in visitor numbers for the consumer and entertainment events from 2017. Ranging from pop concerts and theatrical productions to consumer shows and sporting events, DWTC’s events calendar has been strategic in the evolution of Dubai as a global business, leisure and entertainment hub. Mahir Julfar, Senior Vice President — Venue Services Management, Dubai World Trade Centre said, “DWTC’s annual consumer and entertainment events calendar has become an important component of our MiCE sector offering as it continues to attract thousands of thrill seekers, super fans, sporting enthusiasts and music lovers from around the world. The number of attendees in 2018 is testament to the strength of this market segment. As we go into the new year, we look forward to contributing to the city’s exciting, multicultural leisure and entertainment offering with an unforgettable line up of events, shows and festivals for the entire family.” Over 420 exhibitors and 45,965 of the region’s pop-culture fans attended the Middle East Film & Comic Con in 2018, immersing themselves in international popular culture, film, TV, sci-fi, animation, manga, comics, collectibles, and more, through a series of talks, meet-and-greets, workshops, live events and an exhibition. Running for the 19th year, Modhesh World, Dubai’s largest indoor family ‘edutainment’ destination, was spread across eight halls over the summer months, featuring a plethora of attractions, experiences, games, shows, contests and workshops. The 22nd edition of Carpet Oasis drew in 24,000 traders and visitors from all over the world to explore …

The number of Indian visitors travelling to the GCC over the coming five years will create an extra 10.8 million room nights, according to data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2019 (ATM), which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28, 2019 to May 1, 2019. The latest research published by Colliers International predicts around nine million Indians will travel to the GCC by 2022 – 37 per cent of India’s total outbound market – with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand. Indian outbound will account for 22.5 million worldwide tourists in 2018, with reports from UNWTO estimating this figure will increase by 122 per cent to reach over 50 million by 2022. Adding to this, Indian tourists are among the world’s highest spenders per visit made abroad, with visitor spend expected to increase from US$23 billion in 2018 to US$45 billion by 2022. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said, “Despite recent weak rupee exchange rates, which have seen the rupee lose around 14 per cent of its value against the US dollar over the last 12 months, the Indian outbound market has continued to grow at an average annual growth rate of 10-12 per cent over the last seven years. The GCC has benefited from this trend with Indian travellers’ willingness and ability to spend on outbound travel supported by the country’s pace-setting 7 per cent GDP growth and a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC as well as increased business opportunities and relaxed visa regulations for Indian nationals. We are witnessing this growth first hand with Indian visitors to ATM increasing 27 per cent YoY between 2017 and …

The 57th ICCA Congress is set to take place from Nov 11-14, 2018 at Dubai World Trade Centre under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince, Dubai and Chairman, Executive Council of Dubai. The event will be familiarising delegates with the ICCA “Outside The Box Sessions” by introducing them to curated tours and site visits, showcasing the city’s cultural offerings, ground-breaking innovation and talent development. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said, “The 2018 ICCA Congress is a key event for the global business events community and provides Dubai a platform to showcase itself as a business and knowledge hub. We hope these experiences, which involve some of our key stakeholders and partners across the city, will inspire delegates and allow them to consider future opportunities in the Dubai. They will also complement the strong core educational programme that ICCA has put together for delegates, as well as the networking and social events throughout the congress.” To help delegates build a more cohesive picture of Dubai, delegates can expect to explore the Expo 2020 Dubai site and see first-hand the scale of the global event and how it is set to provide opportunities for meeting industry professionals. The “Outside The Box Sessions” will also see delegates take a tour of the Emirates airline crew training academy and experience the development of skills as well as the importance of aviation to the city’s development. During the tour, delegates will have a first-hand look at the Emirates airline’s safety and emergency evacuation simulators, service training simulators, as well as the A380 cabin service simulator, among many others.

Dubai World Trade Centre welcomes The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) after it relocates its Dubai office to One Central. The consulting firm will continue to serve its clients from the public as well as private sector. BCG’s newly-designed 66,000 square foot offices will occupy the 6th and 7th floor of One Central’s Offices 3, with exclusive access to a large terrace with views of Burj Khalifa, DIFC and The Museum of the Future. His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA) and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said, “The DWTC Authority is delighted to welcome BCG to the One Central development. By attracting one of the world’s leading advisers on business strategy to establish their Dubai office in One Central, we are reiterating both, the development and Dubai’s attractiveness to international corporates and businesses as an unrivalled platform. Through our business-conducive free-zone ecosystem, uniquely complemented by One Central, DWTCA delivers a distinctive destination proposition that emphasises Dubai’s global status as a progressive, hyperconnected, competitive hub for international business.” Joerg Hildebrandt, Managing Partner, The Boston Consulting Group Middle East said, “With this new home, we are at the epicenter of business districts. The move is of strategic importance and will provide our dynamic organisation with a more centralised position for future growth and development within world-class facilities.”

Over 750 local and international companies have participated in this year’s Hotel Show held from September 16 to 18 at Dubai World Trade Centre. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO and Chairman of the Emirates Group inaugurated the event and the leisure show, which sees participation from various technology and sports equipment companies that have revolutionised the hospitality trade. The hospitality leadership forum opened with Olivier Harisch, CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group sharing the road to 2020 and how Emaar copes with the number of rooms, strategies to recognise women in leadership roles at Emaar, how they use technology as an enabler, etc. He reiterated that people have an emotional investment in hotels and thus, hotels need to be constructed in a smart manner alongside a smart procurement. Philip Wooller, Director for Middle East and Africa at STR Global reiterated the evolving scale and structure of Dubai’s room supply. He said that Dubai is on its way to a steady growth plan as it is an emerging destination, which still leads the way with US $180 as average room rate. Apart from the forum, the inaugural Chef’s table and the second Middle East housekeeper’s league of champions events enthralled the visitors further. Various companies supplying décor had created masterful resort areas, which received enough attention from the participants.