Abu Dhabi launches bureau dedicated to attracting lucrative conventions
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Convention attendees spend more than domestic business travelers and foreign leisure tourists, making them and the expensive meetings they attend Abu Dhabi’s best bet for increasing tourism GDP.
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has launched the Abu Dhabi Conventions Bureau (ADCB) and website.
The entity, formerly referred to as the TCA Abu Dhabi Business Tourism Department, currently employs a team of seven and has been given an unspecified budget to boost the emirate's ranking in the world's top destinations for MICE.
“In 2011, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranked Abu Dhabi 234 in the world for the eight major meetings held in the destination. We have more than doubled that last year and realistically expect to be within ICCA’s Top 150 when the rankings are announced in the next few months,” TCA Abu Dhabi deputy director general HE Jasem Al Darmaki said.
ADCB hopes to secure a spot in the top 50 destinations within the next five years by "forging closer links with the industry and providing financial and non-financial support".
“We will provide free, and non-biased assistance and support to professional convention, incentive and exhibition planners, corporations and associations so that they can bid for, win and hold conferences, major business events, business meetings and congresses in Abu Dhabi,” added Al Darmaki.
The bureau is targeting six major business wins in 2013, followed by eight in 2014 and 10 wins during 2015. TCA Abu Dhabi director of promotions and overseas offices Mubarak Rashed Al Nuaimi told Hotelier that the authority was "on the verge" of signing one event related to the tourism industry. He added that all six bids for 2013 were
