Abu Dhabi, which is currently spearheading a major business tourism drive, is to dedicate a week in late March and early April 2009 to the promotion of this lucrative industry segment.

The week, which will run from March 28-April 3, begins with the Gulf Meetings and Events Conference, GMEC, quickly followed by the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition, GIBTM, and will culminate in a board meeting of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives, SITE, the international, not-for-profit, professional association devoted to the pursuit of excellence in the multi-billion-dollar global incentives industry.

All three events are being backed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, ADTA, which believes a strong business tourism profile is essential to its revenue mix and will deliver heightened resilience against any global economic down-turn fall-out.

“One of our key tasks is to build a powerful business tourism proposition for Abu Dhabi and we are being strongly supported in this by both the public and private sectors which are investing heavily in the creation of a world-class meetings, incentive, conventions and exhibitions infrastructure. We are convinced that the business tourism proposition will deliver increased revenue, international exposure and new career streams for the sector as it matures within the emirate, the country and the region,” says Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General of ADTA.

“Our recent success in attracting the 2012 World Ophthalmology Congress – the world’s longest-running medical convention – to Abu Dhabi has sent a strong message to the business tourism sector that the UAE capital is a destination to be reckoned with when it comes to the staging of major international meetings. We now wish to build on this success,” he added.

The Gulf Meetings and Events Conference will be held at the InterContinental Hotel on 28-29 March. Being organised by Meetings Professionals International, MPI, the body representing the global meetings and events community, the event is aimed at probing opportunities for the Gulf’s business tourism industry, examining challenges and proffering solutions.

“This conference harnesses the global strength of MPI, which is the industry’s largest professional community, to deliver two days of intense education that will identify what the region’s meeting professionals, and those starting out in the sector, need to succeed now and in the future,” explains Al Muhairi.

“Our role is not just to win business for Abu Dhabi but also to create the professional infrastructure required and raise standards of excellence and best practice in convention planning. This conference will go some way towards addressing this aim.”

The ADTA will also stage a special ‘Abu Dhabi Day’ on March 30th when up to 200 top business tourism professionals attending GMEC and preparing for GIBTM will be hosted to an intense fact-finding tour of the UAE capital and its meetings and incentive facilities and attractions.

“This is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate first-hand Abu Dhabi’s existing and emerging business tourism infrastructure,” says Al Muhairi. “We will be working closely with our public and private sector stakeholders to ensure the best of the destination goes on show to these highly influential industry influencers.”

The annual GIBTM will run at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, the Middle East’s largest and most modern exhibition complex, from March 31 – April 2. More than 250 exhibitors are expected to take part in the event which is organised by UK-based Reed Travel Exhibitions. The show will also have a significant educational role with a daily seminar programme targeting all levels of the business tourism industry.

“We are endeavouring to spread word of this event across all economic segments within the UAE and the wider Arabian Gulf,” explains Al Muhairi. “Because the industry in this region remains somewhat immature and largely misunderstood, many people whose work is associated with meetings and events in the corporate and private sector do not view themselves as business tourism professionals when the reality is that they are.” “By visiting this exhibition, these erstwhile business tourism professionals will find a host of new opportunities to expand their own influence and product base. They will also be able to join in a seminar programme that will enhance their understanding and knowledge of this important industry.”

And on April 3 Abu Dhabi will host the first meeting of the SITE board to be held in the Middle East. The meeting, hosted by the InterContinental Hotel and ADTA, will review and progress the activities of this international, not-for-profit, professional association devoted to the pursuit of excellence in the incentive industry.

“We are building an ever-closer relationship with SITE which will result in increased exposure among the global business tourism community,” said Al Muhairi. “SITE also has a peerless Young Leaders programme, which the ADTA is supporting and which will give our aspiring business tourism professionals unparalleled learning opportunities.”