Middle East: EXPO 2020 to drive meetings industry

Dubai’s World Expo 2020 win will drive a pan-regional meetings sector boom, industry professionals have proclaimed.

The Expo, which will take place over a six-month period at the Dubai Trade Centre – Jebel Ali, will put the UAE and the wider GCC’s meetings and conference infrastructure and event organisation know-how firmly in the global spotlight, generating business event opportunities galore.

“Having seen first-hand what a tremendous developmental and marketing impact the Expo made in 2010 on Shanghai, where ICCA recently held its own global congress, I am sure Expo 2020 will prove to be a massive stimulant to the entire (GCC) region’s meetings infrastructure and industry in general,” said ICCA CEO Martin Sirk.
Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO of Strategy and Tourism Sector Development at Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said hosting Expo 2020 would have a “sizable impact on a wide range of sectors”, most notably tourism and meetings.

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