Dmg
Setting the Middle Eastern scene
s a taster for several feature
articles on the Middle East that
gives this issue of EW its main
regional focus, Matt Denton,
President, dmg events, shares some insights
from an organiser viewpoint:
What are some of the effective strategies
that work in the Middle East?
There’s no secret sauce, the Middle East is
the same as any other region. Of course, it
has its own idiosyncrasies, opportunities
and challenges, but like any other you have
to stay close to your market, they’ll tell you
what to do.
What are the region’s advantages for
business in the exhibition sphere,
compared to other parts of the world?
Stats will show that the Middle East events
industry is centred around the United Arab
Emirates and there is a good reason for that.
The Government saw the benefits of the
business traveller and, in line with their
ambitious growth plans, they have created
fantastic facilities and combined that a
global transport hub. Such events here can
service the entire region while attracting a
truly international audience. As such, you
really can reach the entire region with one
large-scale event. That’s not to say there
isn’t room for niche and domestic events,
of course, and as the market grows and
matures we are seeing more and more
opportunity across a wider spread.
Has your dmg events strategy been mostly
to clone events into the region, or to work
with local partners, or maybe some kind
of mixture? What is the most effective
way of working in the region?
If you want to be active in an emerging
market like this, then you need to be agile
and that means being adaptive. In the last
10 years or so we’ve embraced various
formats to address opportunities. We’ve
worked alongside local partners to later
buy them out. We’ve used incubators to
launch in some markets and, of course,
we’ve launched our own events driven by
our stronger brands, or vertical spin-offs.
One rule though: we don’t clone, each and
every event is tailored to its market and the
opportunity.
Single most useful
piece of advice you
have received in
your Middle East
business?
If you’ve got an
outdoor event, wear
sunscreen.
Turning ideas into value.
For me, this means starting
a dialogue with the world.
I know exactly how my home market
works. But if I want to develop new
opportunities, I need something more:
I need a partner who knows exactly
what they’re doing. And a network
that operates far beyond borders.
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