A Director of Dubai Convention Bureau has been elected unopposed to represent the Middle East and Africa region, in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
His tenure at the 15-member ICCA board of directors will be two years. The selection took place at the 45th ICCA Congress & Exhibition in Rhodes (Greece ) from October 28 to November 1.
The DTCM Director General, Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, said: "The unanimously selection of DCB-DTCM official to the ICCA with 650 members from 80 countries speaks volume about the stature enjoyed by Dubai on the global map. Dubai became an ICCA member just three years ago."
Mr. Awadh Al Ketbi was chosen by the 36 delegates from the Middle East and Africa region who attended the ICCA General Assembly incorporated into the ICCA Congress and Exhibition.
There was a record-breaking attendance of 826 delegates from 68 countries, including 287 first time attendees.
Mr. Leigh Harry of Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre has been elected as the new ICCA president.
The other members of the board are: Christian Mutschlechner (Austria), Mr. Lars Christensen (Denmark), Mr. Eduardo Sanovicz (Brazil), Ms. Tuula Lindberg (Finland), Mr. Fernando Betanzos (Mexico), Ms. Margarete Gamauf (Austria), Mr. Anthony Wong (Malaysia), Mr. Tom Hulton (UK), Mr. Joe McGrath (USA), Mr. Arnaldo Nardone (Uruguay), Mr. Lutz Vogt (Germany), Mrs. Anne Wallin Rodven (Norway) and Mr. Martin Sirk (The Netherlands).
The ICCA General Assembly voted on the new category structure. The seven categories which ICCA has been using for over 30 years will be replaced by five broader sectors – Meetings Management, Transport, Destination Marketing, Venues and Meetings Support.
Victoria (Canada ) has been selected as the destination for the 2008 ICCA Congress, while the 2009 ICCA Congress will take place in Florence (Italy ). Next year's ICCA Congress is taking place in Pattaya (Thailand ).
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau won the best marketing award from the ICCA this year, while the runners-up were Edinburg Convention Bureau (UK) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (India ).
The DTCM officially announced the opening of Dubai Convention Bureau (DCB) on 31st March 2003 to meet the growing demand of MICE industry. It was also establish the emirate as an international business tourism destination.
It supports all the convention hotels and venues of Dubai by marketing their facilities regionally as well as internationally and bids on behalf of Dubai at the international events. |
