UAE - Venue operator and organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), has reported a record 14 per cent surge in visitors to conferences and exhibitions at its venues during 2010.
During 2010, DWTC attracted 1,415,000 visitors (unaudited) from 155 countries and 32,781 exhibiting companies from 85 countries. Exhibitor attendance grew five per cent in 2010 over 2009.
DWTC CEO Helal Saeed Almarri said significant double-digit growth in visitor volumes and the increase in international exhibitor participation” made for two strong statements. “The business community,” he said, “continues to believe in the growth potential of the region.
“DWTC venues continue to attract leading businesses and trade professionals from around the world that seek to leverage Dubai’s growing relevance as the global gateway to access the region’s largest buyers and niche market players.”
Sector specific conventions, trade shows and conferences had witnessed strong returns, Almarri claimed, citing a 2010 calendar of events that included 13 shows in the healthcare sector, which attracted 133,000 leading professionals to Dubai.
Gulfood, the region’s mega event for the food and hospitality sector, recorded 22 per cent growth in visitor numbers over 2009, according to DWTC, with 3,500 exhibitors and 55,379 visitors from 153 countries attending the four-day culinary showcase.
GITEX Technology Week, one of the world's top three ICT events, celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2010 in Dubai. It attracted 136,114 ICT professionals and 3,500 regional and global exhibitors. Its consumer counterpart at Dubai’s Airport Expo venue, GITEX Shopper, attracted a record 166,521 buyers, up 11 per cent over 2009, and facilitated AED 175 million (US$47.6m) in sales, a 40 per cent increase for the region’s largest consumer IT and electronics B2C event.
DWTC’s Dubai International Boat Show was the platform for 15 global launches and Arabian Travel Market, which also claimed exhibitor and visitor numbers increased.
New additions to the 2010 calendar across exhibitions and congresses included: the Aerospace Defence and Training Show (ADTS), the China Homelife Show, Commercial Vehicles Middle East Show, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Exhibition and Conference, the Dubai International Peace Convention, Microsoft Tech-Ed, Specialty Food Festival, Chemspec Middle East and the Emirates Ophthalmic Conference.
The DWTC’s indoor arena contributed to the venues’ broadening event appeal, staging 17 concerts in 2010.
DWTC management reports it attends to increase its current 1.5-2.5 per cent contribution to the emirate’s GDP and to Dubai’s Strategic Plan.
Countries in the Middle East plan to spend US$90bn on new airports and expansion projects to accommodate increased business.
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