A moment of reflection

Valuable lessons were learned by everyone involved in this month's meetings industry double act in the UAE - the Gulf Meetings and Events Conference in Dubai, followed by the Gulf Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings exhibition (GIBTM) in Abu Dhabi, organised by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) respectively.

Delegates who attended the educational programmes at either or both events will no doubt have realised that the region's meetings industry has a long way to go in terms of achieving the levels of professionalism required in order to make it a world-class destination for international business, but will have been encouraged by the positive steps taken in terms of infrastructure development and international exposure.

Young meeting professionals will have been pleased to learn that because of the talent drought plaguing the region, further education and exposure to the wider industry will make them an invaluable asset to their companies and stand them in good stead for a long and prosperous career in the industry.

Some people felt that an educational conference in the Gulf ought to have had more delegates from the region involved, particularly having identified the need for greater professionalism in the region as the biggest issue facing the industry.

Many visitors to GIBTM registered the absence of several key destinations, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon, as well a distinct lack of corporate buyers hailing from the Gulf.

But for all the short-comings and room for improvement, the week was unarguably a success for everyone involved in the Middle East's meetings industry.

The regional suppliers that did make it to these events had high-profile international buyers delivered to them on a plate, and all delegates were faced with a week of educational seminars to help them develop their own skills and industry knowledge.

As a relative newcomer to the meetings industry in the Middle East, these recent events have convinced me that the region is on the right track; however they have also made it obvious that there is still a long way to go for this region.

As I have mentioned before, identifying and dealing with these issues and challenges is the only way to move forward, and bringing the collective intellect of the world's meetings professionals together for a whole week of interaction and intellectual exchange seems like a pretty good start.

Hopefully next year's events will see more regional representatives making the most of such opportunities.

For a detailed analysis of GIBTM, see the May issue of Meetings Industry Middle East.

Joseph Mortimer is the editor of Meetings Industry Middle East

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.