EU business hubs await surge in UAE corporate travellers

EU business hubs await surge in UAE corporate travellers

European pavilion to grow by 66% at GIBTM as Schengen waiver prompts inevitable growth in business travel between UAE and 25 EU countries

Business destinations in the EU are now on the cusp of an influx of business travellers from the UAE, after the European Parliament voted for Emiratis to be exempt from obtaining visas to visit any of the 25 Schengen countries last week.

“A further announcement will be made regarding the execution of the decision, but effectively this means Emiratis will be able to travel freely to 25 countries in the EU for periods of up to 90 days without a visa, said Lois Hall, Exhibition Manager of the Gulf Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings Expo, (GIBTM) which takes place at The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 24-26 March 2014.

After a similar decision by the UK to relax visa requirements for UAE nationals (online visa applications 48 hours in advance), the stage is set for a whole new chapter of business travel from the region, certainly if the scheme is extended to other Gulf nations.

Ready to benefit from the new ruling at this year’s GIBTM, is the European pavilion, which contains 19 companies and destinations, and is 66% larger than last year. Debutants include companies such as Spain’s Iberostar, Barcelo Hotels and Resorts, I’way Express from the Czech Republic, Talaria Experience from Madrid, as well as Arsenal Football Club.

France alone receives over 22,000 visitors from the UAE, each year, and according to an exclusive Ernst & Young report, which is to be revealed at GIBTM, Paris is the most preferred destination for Middle Eastern business travellers. London comes in at number two and Frankfurt at number five. The report also forecasts acceleration in business travel, both inbound, and outbound from the Middle East region.

“Over 66% of the world’s population lies within an eight hour flight of UAE, giving the region unparalleled leverage to become the future global hub for business travellers. Indeed Middle Eastern carriers already share 7% of the global market which the Airbus Global Market Forecast 2013 estimates will grow to 11% by 2031, an annual growth rate of 7.3%, higher by 2% than any other geographical region in the world,” added Hall.

But it’s not just the UK and the EU looking for a greater share of the regional MICE market. The Asia pavilion at the show this year includes Thailand and Korea who are also looking at attracting the lucrative Middle East outbound business.

These trends and much more will be presented at the GIBTM seminar sessions which will include Business Travel in the Middle East and ‘The habits of Middle Eastern business travellers’, based on research conducted by, international professional services firm, Ernst and Young. In addition, the highly anticipated ‘Launch of the Middle East MICE Buyers Report’ where Rob Davidson of the University of Greenwich in London will present the results of the Middle Eastern Meeting Planners’ Site Selection Survey – brand new research which demonstrates the factors that are most important to Middle Eastern meeting planners when they are deciding where to locate their events.

The two seminar sessions will look at the current MICE trends throughout the region and offer invaluable trending insights and business forecasts.

This year’s GIBTM will accommodate 300 exhibitors from 35 countries including up to 300 influential Hosted Buyers that will attend the event, with 8,500 pre-scheduled appointments. Representatives from major companies including Kuoni Events, TE Connectivity, UHY International, Medicongress, Mary Kay, HelmsBriscoe, FEI Company, China International Medicine Exchange Association International Service Center, Contendam and Portigon Financial Services have all been accepted onto the highly sought after programme.

New initiatives for GIBTM 2014 include the Business Travel @GIBTM, a full day of networking for the business travel industry, with attendees invited to participate in the Corporate Travel Networking session sponsored by the Hyatt Capital Gate, Corporate Travel Conference Programme and GIBTM Knowledge Hub Seminars, as well as the GIBTM Official Networking Reception sponsored and hosted by Yas Island on Tuesday 25th March.

For more information, please log onto http://www.gibtm.com

PREVIEW: GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SERIOUS BUSINESS IN ABU DHABI

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SERIOUS BUSINESS IN ABU DHABI

New exhibitors, novel showcase features, major regional buyers, enhanced education programme, networking events and post-event fam’ trips – set the stage for GIBTM (www.gibtm.com) as the leading MICE exhibition in the Middle East.

The 2014 edition of The Gulf Incentives, Business, Travel and Meetings is shaping up to be the most successful yet, with robust exhibitor and buyer interest in the event giving rise to new exhibition features, innovative concept areas, up to 300 hosted buyers, over 2,000 trade visitors and an expanded educational programme.

Kicking off at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 24-26 March 2014, GIBTM has piqued the interest of a truly international audience, with a number of first-time exhibitors attending from Spain, the United States, Thailand, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Czech Republic, UAE, Korea, United Kingdom, Uganda, South Africa and Morocco.

Last year GIBTM tripled corporate meetings buyer attendance accounting for 35% of all hosted buyers attending the show, compared to 11% from the corporate sector in 2012.

The international pavilions have a new addition in the shape of the Africa Pavilion, which is being added in response to a surge in demand from exhibitors looking at targeting outbound business from the Middle East into the continent, with newcomers including Tips Tours and Rovos Rail Tours.

It joins the Asia Pavilion, with Korea and Thailand confirmed newcomers, as well as the European Pavilion, which this year will occupy a much larger area due to the addition of debutants such as L’way Express from the Czech Republic, Spain’s Iberostar Management, Serbia Convention Bureau, EPI Georgia, Arsenal Football Club and AYGUN TURIZM of Turkey.

GIBTM’s ‘Knowledge Programme’ has also been ramped up for 2014, with educational sessions conducted by some of the world’s leading meetings industry associations including MPI, ICCA and SITE, covering topics spanning industry trends, sustainability, issues impacting the corporate travel industry, and the challenges of staging international association meetings.

The seminar programme, sponsored by Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), has interesting sessions this year including the MICE Buyers report, in this session, Rob Davidson of the University of Greenwich in London will present the results of the Middle Eastern Meeting Planners’ Site Selection Survey – brand new research which demonstrates the factors that are most important to Middle Eastern meeting planners when they are deciding where to locate their events.

Another research study being presented by Sunil Malhotra, Director, Aviation Sector – Middle East & North Africa, Ernst and Young, is ‘The Habits of Middle East Business Travellers’. To view the full programme visit http://www.gibtm.com/knowledge

The GIBTM 20×20 Challenge, powered by PechaKucha is back for a second year running due to popular demand.

“The upswing in interest from a much wider audience of exhibitors than ever before has led the GIBTM team to introduce a number of exciting new initiatives at the 2014 show, enabling the event to reflect the demands and trends shaping the local and global meetings markets,” said Lois Hall, Exhibition Director, GIBTM.

“These new features include sourceme Pavilion in partnership with Nicholas Publishing International (NPI), which will showcase the leading event service suppliers from the Gulf region’s only annual events directory; the Technology & Services Zone, dedicated to the industry’s most technologically-advanced products and event planning services; plus Business Travel @GIBTM, featuring exhibitors in the Business Travel Zone. A dedicated Business Travel Knowledge programme and dedicated networking sessions.

“GIBTM will welcome up to 300 highly influential regional and international Hosted Buyers to attend this year’s show, all of whom have proven budget and sizeable business to place.” continued Hall.

Representatives from major industry players such as Kuoni Events, TE Connectivity, UHY International, Medicongress, Mary Kay, HelmsBriscoe, FEI Company, China International Medicine Exchange Association International Service Center, Contendam and Portigon Financial Services have all been accepted as Hosted Buyers.

“More than 8,500 pre-scheduled appointments are expected to take place between buyers and exhibitors at this year’s GIBTM,” said hall.

Additional value will be offered to Hosted Buyers through the launch of a series of post-event familiarisation tours to Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai, Jordan and Oman, giving these prime MICE destinations the opportunity to showcase their business and meeting facilities, hospitality portfolio and leisure attractions to global decision-makers.

To find out more about GIBTM please visit http://www.gibtm.com

Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND
www.gibtm.com

GIBTM, the leading Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in the Middle East, is gearing up for major business with meetings industry buyers from leading global financial, technology, agency, corporate and association companies signed up to attend the event which takes place annually at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 24-26 March, 2014.

Major names including Kuoni Events, TE Connectivity, UHY International, Medicongress, Mary Kay, HelmsBriscoe, FEI Company, China International Medicine Exchange Association International Service Center, Contendam and Portigon Financial Services have been accepted onto the highly sought after Hosted Buyer programme.

Last year, GIBTM saw 251 Hosted Buyers attend with 67% placing orders in excess of US$650,000 each. As a direct result of the growing demand witnessed from both exhibitors and buyers, the show has extended the Hosted Buyer Programme offering this year to accommodate over 300 buyers who are expected to participate in over 8,500 pre-scheduled appointments.

Exhibiting at GIBTM will provide regional and international suppliers with the opportunity to meet this highly targeted audience of buyers and achieve fast market penetration, which will be facilitated through the power of face-to-face meetings. Exhibitors will also be able to obtain competitive intelligence whilst establishing their company as a key player in the meetings and events industry.

The IBTM Meetings Industry Research for the Middle East, which was presented at last years show, identified the top ten countries for outbound business from the Middle East to be Turkey, Spain, France, Malaysia, India, UK, Indonesia, Philippines, USA and South Africa.

To find out more about GIBTM please visit http://www.gibtm.com
Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.

Notes to Editors
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Sophie Ahad
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