hen the coronavirus pandemic hit Dubai in March there was a quick response from the authorities . An early lockdown during April and May led to a gradual opening from June onwards , with borders opening in a controlled process .

Local business events were given the green light to resume on 15 September and international ones from 1 October , all under a strict set of guidelines designed to ensure health and safety for all involved .

So , have the visitors returned ? This and other questions were taken up by a recent UFI Connects session involving three local industry leaders and moderated by UFI ’ s MEA manager , Naji El Haddad .

Steen Jakobsen , VP Dubai Tourism thought it would take a while to get back to pre-Covid levels of business events business but was confident in the guidelines now in place , even if many countries from which attendees come are under travel restrictions . “ Until they are lifted we will not be back to pre-Covid levels . So , now we are concentrating on communicating our guidelines to bring confidence back ,” he said .

Mahir Julfar , EVP Dubai World Trade Center , described the new reality as “ challenging ” but said that , “ out of every crisis there is an opportunity for transformation . Events started in phases between June and August and in July we launched Dubai Sports World . Ai Everything was our first business event .”

Julfar explained the venue had won the SafeGuard Label certified by Bureau Veritas and his team had mapped out the entire visitor journey from planning , arrival , event and post-event . “ We have built a team to deliver what is safe for everyone ,” he said .

Simon Mellor , CEO Messe Frankfurt ME-UAE , said his company had organised international events in January and February prior to the lockdown . The time since , he said , had been used to come up with some innovative approaches . “ We are now running 13 major events in China – which have entirely domestic visitors , although that is a market that can sustain domestic shows , unlike the Middle East . We have a global digital taskforce and have launched events back in Germany , Italy , South Africa , USA and UAE , too .”

Mellor noted the company had lost its major Beauty show and that almost an entire year will have elapsed between it running InterSec and its next projected exhibition .

He is predicting a 12 % increase in floor space in future , due to the need for wider aisles to meet local safety guidelines . Another challenge he identifies is the job of policing the regulations . “ We are not IKEA , visitors are not used to that process . Build up is also more challenging because of restrictions of personnel per square metre ,” he added but was happy the industry had rallied round a good set of guidelines in the UAE .

Below : Simon Mellor , CEO Messe Frankfurt ME-UAE

Mahir Julgar was optimistic the sector could adapt . “ Decision-makers will attend shows ; we will deliver better ,” he said .

Steen Jacobsen said government and private entities have been working hand in hand to find new solutions .

“ Meetings and events are the cornerstone of the economy in Dubai and economic accelerators ,” he said , and pointed out that there were sectoral committees focused on conferences , incentives and tradeshows .

Messe Frankfurt , Mellor reported , had been researching how attitudes were changing and found half of respondents in June said they were prepared to travel , although they noted they were less likely to when surveyed in September . Small businesses and C level executives were the most likely to travel ( decision-makers ). Mellor added that after looking at digital options but not finding solutions , many businesses were realising the event market was where they needed to be . “ We see a focus on large-scale international events , with limited money reaching out to the major shows in major locations ,” he said and identified flying as the main impediment to travel , although Dubai is seen as one of safest cities in the world .

Mellor believes that it is time for exceptional solutions and said much could be learned from the successful staging of Fight Island and IPL and the way they dealt with participants .

Diversification was important to DWTC ’ s business , added Julgar , who noted the venue had been diversifying and was now able to host 16 event types . “ We have never been empty and restarted with small events ,” he said .

Mellor also highlighted the sector ’ s creativity and urged the authorities to reach out more to the organiser community and tap into their creative expertise to help bring confidence back .