Dubai Ranked Top MEA Meeting Destination!

For the second consecutive year, Dubai is ranked 1st place by Cvent in the 2019 Top meeting destinations in the Middle East and Africa. This list was compiled based on the sourcing activity through the Cvent Supplier Network.

Steen Jakobsen, Assistant Vice President, Dubai Business Events & City Operations stated:  “For Dubai to once again be named as Top Meetings Destination in the MEA region is a testament to the city’s visionary leadership, as well as the efforts of all our partners and stakeholders. Business events play a critical role not only in driving visitation and making a direct economic impact, but contributing to the development of key sectors and industries and encouraging knowledge exchange.

“As we look to build on our momentum and underline Dubai’s status as a business events destination of choice, we will continue to communicate to meetings planners the easy accessibility, diversity in hotel choices, and wide range of venues in the city, as well as compelling choices when it comes to activities, attractions and dining.”

Congratulations to DBE team and a continued success!

Berlin: A Center of Innovation!

Today, innovation has become a requirement for economic growth. By definition, innovation is the creation and transformation of new knowledge into new products, process, or services the meet the market needs.

Berlin, a trendy creative metropolis, has done exactly that by upping the ante on conferences and event standards!

With such a range of options, planning your next meeting in Berlin will add value to your experience! Incorporate gamification at an interactive forum to keep the the brain active or add robots and holographs into a multi-site conference, guaranteeing high attention levels.

Prefer some privacy? Maintain a “retro-format” at unusual locations such as a large industrial loft or an empty brewery. Ideal for meetings of up to 50 attendees, it stimulates inspiration–sometimes needed at board meetings or strategy session.

What to expect from these meeting formats? Groundbreaking ideas and conversations attributed to disconnecting and taking a break from technology.

Berlin will help you evolve your meetings!

Take a look for yourself.

Experience The World Expo 2022 in Dubai!

If you haven’t heard yet, the World Expo 2020 will be held in Dubai! This is significant as it is the first time that the World Expo will be held in the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia).

What is the World Expo?

Since its debut in 1851, the World Expo has been known as one of the largest international exhibitions in the world. Every five years, a city is selected to host the expo and they invite every country to take part in showcasing. To give you an idea of its impact, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Space Needle in Seattle were built specifically when each city hosted the World Expo.

When will Expo 2020 be held?

Expo 2020 will be held in Dubai from October 20, 2020 until April 10, 2021. The World Expo is typically held for a period of six months.

 

 

Who will be there?

There will be more than 200 participants including nations, multilateral organizations, businesses and educational institutions. To date, 190 nations from across the world have confirmed their participation at Expo 2020. Within the six month period Dubai is expecting over 2.5 million visitors to attend the Expo!

What should I expect from Expo 2020 in Dubai?

The Expo aims to expand your mind by sharing ideas from different nations, showcasing innovation and inspiration. Furthermore to pave the path for progress in fields such as technology and architecture. The theme for the Expo 2020 is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. At its core, there will be a strong focus on opportunity, mobility, and sustainability.

Building on the themes, there will be three main pavilions as well as engaging, fun and meaningful entertainment programs available across the site. Some of these include parades, arts, cultural activities, wellness, seminars and workshops, each designed to captivate the imagination.

You will find various pavilions from participating nations at the Expo. Below are the three main pavilions focusing on Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

The Opportunity Pavilion will include gaming and decision-making areas that will address how small significance and impactful actions can bring positive change on a global scale.

At the Mobility Pavilion you will get to venture across time and space, come face-to-face with history’s giants of exploration and discover the future of human progress.

The stunning Sustainability Pavilion will showcase innovative global projects that are creating their own unique paths to being sustainable, and pledge to help preserve the planet for the generations to come.

To learn more about this exciting once in a lifetime event, click here

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s New Expansion

We are delighted to share that the 11, 8403 sq. ft. expansion at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (The Centre) is open for business!

As we mentioned in a previous blogpost, the new extension will provide additional space for meetings and events including a hospitality suite. Alan Pyror, General Manager of KLCC shared that “there is a demand for greater efficiencies and more creative choices when it comes to delivering experiential events. To help create a truly innovative space, we listened to our customers.” Source (Meetings & Conventions Asia)

With a confirmed line-up of at least 10 upcoming events, KLCC is definitely paying close attention to their customer’s needs. To read more, click here and to discover KLCC, visit their website.

Unrating Vienna

By going against the trend of using social media and travel review sites, Vienna has launched a counter culture advertising campaign to experience the destination from a unique perspective.

In a recent announcement, entitled “Unrating Vienna,” the tourist board is asking visitors to stop reading online reviews. Helena Hartlauer, a spokesperson for the Vienna Tourist Board shared with the Washington Post that “if travelers focus a little bit more on deliberately experiencing their trip…Not being too stressed by taking too many pictures or visiting the top five or 10 sites, then it’s good for both the visitors and the destination.” (Source: Travel + Leisure)

As is the accepted norm, visitors are eager to share special moments on social media while travel bloggers/influencers are keen on adding their valued input on must-see locations. This could be viewed as a double-edged sword as it takes away the excitement for first time visitors and at the same time, provides ratings that may or may not be beneficial to the destination.

By disrupting the trends, Vienna is ushering an unexpected approach in marketing a destination. To learn more about Vienna’s new campaign, visit the official website.

 

Photo credit: Vienna Tourism Board

A Swiss Break!

For planners, completing an event and immediately moving towards the next has become second nature. Our industry requires from all of us to always be switched on. We forget to take a moment, disconnect and reset so that we may be able to create new, more innovative ideas.

When we plan our business activities, we must include a break. Not a coffee break or a Netflix binge watching weekend, a real break!

How about a Swiss break!

Imagine being surrounded by snow peaked mountains, breathing that fresh air from the Alps while sitting in front of your own 200 year old Maiensӓss (Alpine wooden house).

Visit Maienblüte to a much simpler time with a wood stove, flowing spring water, heated bath fired by wood and no electricity. A place where unplugging is more of a verb than a metaphor.

Bring the family and enjoy a beautiful hike or bike ride to the unforgettable waterfall of Adelboden. Then relax in the hot tub and bask in the endless views!

We know it’s hard to fully disconnect sometimes– not to worry! In the hamlet Crènn you’ll find a detached house with satellite TV, internet access and electric heating. The perfect home away from home.

We encourage you to take that Swiss break. You will feel on top of your game after a few days. We promise, your clients will be glad you did!

Be inspired by nature’s beauty and visit Switzerland.

Busan, South Korea Takes Center Stage!

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), held annually at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. For this reason, it is a recommended offsite activity worth checking out if you are visiting South Korea in October!

The festival is an international and cultural experience featuring approximately 300 films from 70 different countries. Each year, about 10,000 people are in attendance and representatives of those countries.

The festival consists of thirty different screens at five different venues! Venues that take part in this world renowned event include Busan Cinema Center, CGV Centum City, Lotte Cinema Centum City, Megabox Jangsan Haeundae, and Sohyang Theater Centum City.

To learn more about this memorable experience, visit the official site

Summertime in Berlin

Summer is finally upon us and our colleagues in Berlin shared some of the top offsite activities to consider should your next meeting bring you to their wonderful city! The list is perfect for group activities and/or the sole adventurer looking to explore the beautiful Berlin.

Here are my top favorites:

  • Outdoor activities: For the movie lovers, Open-Air Cinemas (or “Freiluftkinos” in German) will have several movie screenings throughout Berlin until September.
  • Music aficionados: The Young Euro Classic is celebrating their 20 year anniversary this year and will focus on the music of Ludwig van Beethoven! The youth symphony orchestras from across the globe will share the stage in Konzerthaus Berlin. The two and a half weeklong event in one of the music capitals of the world will feature Beethoven’s nine symphonies and more.

Should your delegates decide to enjoy some time under the stars or other cultural excursion, your delegates will have some options to choose from! For more 2019 summer events in Berlin, visit their blogsite.

15 Years & Counting: Berlin Makes ICCA Top 5 Destination Cities!

It is no easy feat to be one of the world’s leading destinations for international meetings! Since 2004, our client Berlin has been ranked among the top 5!  In 2018, Berlin hosted 162 meetings for international associations coming in 5th place overall.

Congratulations to Team Berlin! To read more about Berlin’s recognition, view the official press release here.

Photo description: MCIntl assisted with the 2018 Annual World Health Summit hosted in Berlin with over 1,200 attendees!!