THIS year’s edition of the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition 2012 (GIBTM) includes a strong focus on education, learning and training.
As the largest gathering of meetings and events industry professionals in the Middle East, we feel we have an obligation to provide education – to develop the industry, encourage new and efficient ways of conducting business, and ensure the region’s growing Mice and business travel sector becomes the world-class industry we foresee it to be.
We’re honoured to welcome Ask Ali.com as a valued show sponsor. For the very first time GIBTM will offer Arabic presentations delivered by industry guru Ali Al Saloom, who will discuss how business travel in the region is a modern interpretation of the age-old concept of the majlis and how the biggest opportunity is linking business tourism with Arabic traditions and culture. This Arabic addition is groundbreaking as it will be the first time that Arabic seminars have been run in the region solely dedicated to the Mice industry.
Our educational programme is aimed at senior executives in the meetings, events and business travel industry, delivering innovative regional content. We are also proud to host the highly anticipated release of the 6th Middle East Meetings Industry Research report. The annual report (in association with meetme) has become a key barometer of the state of the meetings and events industry in the Middle East.
GIBTM has partnered with the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), for the first time, to provide free seminars, which focus on the convergence of managing meetings and travel. Delegates attending ACTE seminars will discover how to optimise business travel spend, explore how technology affects prices, learn how to improve finance processes and optimise travel payment systems and deliver savings in an upbeat Middle Eastern market.
The education programme will also highlight the importance of technology and social media. Sessions will address how professionals are integrating traveller’s opinions and leveraging emerging technologies to enhance management of business travel and corporate meetings. The use of emerging technology and social media in events will be discussed.
High-level speakers include Dr Edith Szivas, director of research and Consultancy at Jumeirah Group, Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, who will look at sustainable tourism globally, with special focus on the meetings industry.
John Quinn, a ‘presentologist’ at Satellite Visual Communication, will reveal his secrets for effective presentations and how to enhance one’s presentation skills. Camil El Khoury, chief vision officer of the ideas group in Beirut, will discuss how successful leaders grow at the speed of change and show attendees how to turn external challenges into opportunities.
Didier Scaillet, chief development officer at Meeting Professionals International, will reveal trends that are affecting the EU, and how these will affect the Middle East.
A panel discussion, hosted by Bicky Carlra, global president at TraVision and Founder of 7Deals Travel, will highlight how increasing accessibility to information through technology is influencing corporate travel procurement strategies and processes.
Meanwhile Lee Mancini, Manager of Dubai-based Sekari, will explain how companies – regardless of size – can take advantage of search engine optimisation to grow their business.
Lois Hall is exhibitions manager for GIBTM.
GIBTM Diaries
By Lois Hall