All set for ADIPEC

The "world is ready to come to Abu Dhabi to do business", ADIPEC organisers dmg world media told MIME.

Dmg world media business development manager David Drake said that the international growth of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) 2008, taking place from November 3 to 6, reinforced Abu Dhabi as a major player in the Middle East meetings and events sector.

"This year we expect to have 2500 delegates register for ADIPEC. Abu Dhabi is fortunate to have a large number of delegates on its doorstep who are committed to the event, when you combine that with the increasing international delegates then we're assured of meeting expectations," said Drake.

Drake said that ADNEC was "a dream" to work in and that the venue had "listened to some of our initial observations and changed tack accordingly to meet our requirements".

"The venue is still in its early stages but is already making a name for itself in international circles. This will only get stronger as the infrastructure grows around it and supports the events," Drake added.

While Drake says that the world is ready come to Abu Dhabi to do business, the pressing question is whether the emirate is ready to cater for the crowds.

"Transport is always an issue with delegates and visitors and it is sometimes a double-edged sword," said Drake.

"If you provide it and it fails you're providing a bad service. Sometimes it's easier to leave people to their own devices. That said we prefer to supply a service and manage people's expectations. After all we cannot control the traffic levels or congestion.

"Traffic is a big problem and one that we've proved time and time again is not a venue or organiser problem. This requires the host city to be willing to work as part of the solution. Without this cooperation you will never solve the problems," he added.

A second major challenge had been the "high demand" for hotel rooms outweighing the region's supply.

Drake said that he has welcomed the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's (ADTA) recent decision to cap hotel rates during the event. He said that this was partly in response to repeated requests for help to regulate rates during ADIPEC.

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