Now in its sixth year, the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meeting Exhibition 2012 will incorporate sixth new features including an exciting education programme for industry professionals, as TTN finds out
WITH a new Technology Zone and a boost up on the education programme, the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meeting Exhibition (GIBTM) 2012 is all set to open doors this month (March 26 to 28) at the Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Centre (Adnec) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Ahead of the event, TTN speaks to exhibition director Lois Hall to find out what’s new at this year’s event.
What can we expect to see at GIBTM 2012? What are your targets/ predictions in terms of businesses at the event this year?
GIBTM 2012 will implement several new features. As the leading event for the meetings, incentives, business travel and events industry in the Middle East, we constantly take exhibitors’ feedback into consideration to improve our show and therefore have decided to introduce many exciting initiatives at this year’s show.
Our collaboration with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), the leading non-profit organisation serving and advancing global business travel, is extremely timely because business travel is one of the key focuses at GIBTM 2012. Together we can work towards improving the business travel experience through industry education focused on the convergence of managing meetings and travel.
This year’s exciting education programme will have a line-up of many of the industry’s most senior, world renowned speakers and will offer numerous sessions on new technologies and social media, demonstrate corporate best practice examples of how corporate supplier negotiations can prove the value of the corporate travel function by saving the company money and talk about the evolution and growth of sustainable tourism globally and in the Gulf region with a special focus on the meetings industry. For the first time GIBTM will also offer sessions in Arabic language to embrace the local culture with Ali Al Saloom of Ask Ali.com.
Other initiatives include a Technology Zone, a separate section of GIBTM dedicated to technology, and a GIBTM mobile app, created by ShowGizmo, a smartphone event application. ShowGizmo will meet the individual needs of all GIBTM attendees by providing access to the latest information with the click of a button and will be free to download.
What kind of exhibitor participation have you seen? What exhibitors will make a debut at GIBTM 2012?
GIBTM is receiving a high level of interest and bookings from new and returning international participants who recognize GIBTM as the largest proven platform to access the lucrative Middle East meetings, events and business travel market. We will host a European exhibitor pavilion designed to accommodate European companies expanding their business reach into the Middle East region. Exhibitors making a debut this year include Czech Tourist Authority, Hungarian Tourism Private Limited Company, JASPE - Grand Hotel PoltuQuatu, Kuwait Ministry of Tourism, Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi and Qatar Mice Development Institute (QMDI) among others.
What can we expect to see at the newly introduced Technology Zone? How important is this and how can visitors make use of this new zone?
The Technology Zone is an essential part of the show this year. Visitors can expect to see organisations showcasing the latest products in meetings and event technology and learn about how these products are impacting the meetings, incentive, conference and exhibitions (Mice) industry and how they can make their businesses more efficient.
Emerging technology is helping reduce the costs of meetings, simplifying booking processes and allowing for increased flexibility. It is transforming the way events are organised and enhancing the attendee experience. An increasing number of events will be organised and run through smartphones and mobile applications. Business travellers will learn about how smartphones and other web-connected devices are utilized to leverage for audience polling, networking, lead exchange and provide attendees with venue maps, contact information and up-to-the-minute updates on the meetings and events. The Technology Zone is the platform for travel industry professionals to discover the latest technology trends and solutions.
With the focus on business travel, is it safe to say that business travel in the region is on an upward track? What are your predictions for the region?
With the world becoming increasingly globalised, business travel is becoming more and more essential to conduct business. In fact, the UAE reported a 7.6 per cent increase in air traffic in 2011 compared to 2010 and recorded the largest number of hotel rooms under way in the Middle East and Africa region. The rise in air traffic movement in the country is attributed to the growing business and tourism sector in the UAE. We expect to see even greater growth in the business travel sector for 2012.
Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been named the top Mena Mice destinations according to the fifth Middle East Meetings Industry Research report, undertaken by Reed Travel Exhibitions and meetme magazine in March 2011.
Dubai is a key Mice destination ranked among the top 10 most popular business destinations in 2011 followed by Abu Dhabi, which is currently attracting 27 per cent of events staged in the region. The capital is anticipated to attract 48 per cent of events planned in the Mena region in 2012. Over the past few years, the Meetings and Events industry in the Middle East has received huge sums of investment and we are now seeing the results. The report highlighted the rapid expansion of the industry in the UAE and predicted continuous growth for 2012.
What emerging trends are you aware of in the business travel market and how will GIBTM address these trends?
Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organisers of GIBTM, together with The Right Solution, a UK based research provider, annually draw upon a global database of meetings, events and business travel buyers to provide an accurate market analysis of the industry in the Middle East and globally.
Research is currently being conducted for the highly anticipated release of the sixth industry report so that the results offer an unrivalled up-to-the minute industry outlook. Providing insights into the newest industry trends, the industry report is extremely popular at GIBTM will be presented at 1 pm on Monday, March 26 at the exhibition.
What are the key factors driving business travel and incentives to the region and who are the key feeder markets for this niche?
Combined with its unabated infrastructure development, the Middle East has presented itself as a premier location for holding meetings, conferences and exhibitions that are relevant, not just for the region, but on a global scale. The abundance of venues in the region is helping the sector grow. More significantly, the importance of the region within the global economy will surely drive meetings and events.
Abu Dhabi’s business tourism, meetings and incentive infrastructure has expanded significantly over the past year. Business tourism currently accounts for approximately 70 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s hotel guest profile with 10 per cent of this emanating from the Mice segment.
Excellent flight connections make the Middle East an ideal location for global corporate gatherings; it is estimated that two billion people are within a four-hour flight radius of the Gulf. Key feeder markets are Europe and Asia. GIBTM is receiving strong interest from Europe as several European destinations have registered to exhibit at the show. European meeting organisers view the UAE as a top destination for Mice activities attributable to its outstanding conferencing facilities, excellent incentive packages and numerous travel options to choose from.