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major events of its own through its DXB Live creative agency .
Of course , there have been challenges and the complex hosted a field hospital accommodating 800 Covid patients .
In 2019 there were 3.6m visitors at 418 events at DWTC and although those numbers dropped by about half in 2020 , still nearly half of all business travellers to Dubai came to DWTC .
Amway Europe brought 2,500 people for a sales incentive for two days in December 2021 and GASTEC and the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition ( ATCE ) were successfully staged at DWTC in September . Africa Oil Week also relocated to Dubai , with the Madinat Jumeirah hosting it in November 2021 . ( The Jumeirah orgnisation has been running the Luxemburg Pavilion at Expo2020 , an example of how local hoteliers have been sharing their hospitality experience ).
New impetus for promotion The recent merging of Dubai ’ s tourism and economy departments into Dubai ’ s Department of Economy and Tourism will give new impetus to promoting the destination and Steen Jakobsen , assistant vicepresident Dubai Business Events which forms part of the consolidated organisation , said : “ Raising our
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global competitiveness requires new ways of thinking , and this merger is testament to our outlook to the future .” He anticipates visitor numbers increasing to 25m by 2025 and expects the emirate to attract 400 global events by then , too .
Jakobsen says the strategy is to develop home-grown events and support key sectors , as well as to “ attract and develop international business events to support the economic development and knowledge creation across multiple sectors ”.
The accent on safety and reliability remains strong , with the authorities having launched the Dubai Assured Stamp and the Safe Travels Stamp .
And all is in place for the Dubai Association Conference on 21 February 2022 at the DEC .
The emirate ’ s Dubai Association Centre ( DAC ) is another asset for international associations and trade bodies , providing an environment where they can locate their regional offices . To date , 70 associations have taken advantage of the various incentives to do just that . The hub nature of Dubai means that the DAC can also act as a gateway to Asia and Africa .
Resilience & Reinvention Clearly Dubai is leading the way in the Middle East for business
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“ The future
belongs to
those who
can imagine
it , design it ,
and execute
it . It isn ’ t
something
you await ,
but rather
create ”
Ruler of
Dubai , Sheikh
Mohammed
bin Rashid Al
Maktoum
Left : Big wheels turning in Dubai , especially at the new Ain installation
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events , with its new strategy and vision backed up by the existing and high-quality critical mass of hotels and venues . Dubai also can offer an equally attractive broad range of activities to appeal to event planners , incentives groups and trade show attendees alike . I can fully vouch for the appeal of Platinum Heritage ’ s desert safari as one of the many attractive options for exploring the local culture and nature .
The business environment is made more attractive by the emirate ’ s freetrade zones and favourable taxation policies .
Innovation Dubai is focusing clearly on tomorrow and harnessing science and innovation to drive its economy and develop further as a global knowledge and technology hub . Thanks to Dubai Business Events , I visited two of the key projects that stand testimony to these grand ambitions being realised .
DEWA Solar Park Dubai has built an impressive global hub for renewable and clean energy innovation , which it expects to contribute to shaping the future of sustainable energy . It is the largest single-site solar park in the world at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority ’ s ( DEWA ’ s ) Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and Innovation Centre . The UAE has put its money where its mouth is to the tune of AED50bn ( US $ 13.61bn ) for a project now in its third phase . It was a phase inaugurated last November by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , Dubai ’ s ruler , and the facility is on track to deliver a total capacity of 5,000MW of power by 2030 .
The project will feature the world ’ s tallest solar power tower and research on solar power at the Innovation Centre will support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 , which aims to provide 75 % of Dubai ’ s total power capacity from ►
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