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Meeting Professionals International director of operations EMEA Joyce Dogniez discusses her views on the Middle East’s emerging meetings market.

What have you been doing in the Middle East?

MPI was hosted by Qatar MICE Development Institute (QMDI) to run the Global Certificate in Meeting Operations 1 (GCMO) training course in Qatar.

It was a five-day programme for event and meeting planners and those interested in the meetings industry.

It was very hectic, but very good.

We were fully booked with 50 people and we already have 40 people on the waiting list for the next one.

We also had a whole day with the Emirates Academy where they brought together the sales, training and events team and we explained what we could do for them so we think something might come out of that.

Was there an obvious area where more training was needed for the attendees?

It was a bit of a mix really. We had some who were entry level trainees with QMDI and foundations of departments. There were people from the equestrian centre and some people who had never worked in the industry.

Some were looking to change their jobs. One guy who was working for a BMW showroom was thinking about moving into the meetings industry so he wanted to see if it was what he thought it was.

Then there were those who were more advanced in the industry, but wanted a refresher, so we really had a wide range of participants at the event.

What do you think the meetings industry needs in the Middle East?

I think a lot of the focus has gone on events, especially such things as property launches. I think now there is an understanding there needs to be a shift to conferences, congresses and the business side of the industry.

I also think there is still a big misunderstanding of what the meetings industry really is.

A lot of people still see it as hospitality or tourism so it is definitely not a mature market in that sense.

What does MPI hope to achieve in the region?

The reason why MPI went global is really on the request of our members. People want to have contacts in the Middle East so for MPI it is establishing connections in the region for them.

Secondly our aim is to elevate the meetings industry in general terms through training, increasing professionalism and developing the industry as a whole — that is really why we are here.

Do you feel the economic situation will have an impact on the meetings industry?

I think we will eventually suffer because everyone is downsizing such as American Express and big hotel chains so we will feel the effect as an organisation.

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