The Fairmont Dubai is not just one of Dubai's most attractive and popular hotels, it also plays host to many regional and international events. Nives Deininger, director of group sales, spoke to ArabAd about the market, its trends and potential. Below are excerpts from the interview.
The MICE facilities in the UAE and how Dubai in particular, competes with established destinations such as Barcelona, Hong Kong, and Singapore
Dubai offers a wide variety of high-quality modern hotel accommodation with outstanding conference facilities that exceed those of some European destinations such as Barcelona in terms of quality, facilities, and location. Recent developments such as the Dubai International Convention Centre have made it possible for Dubai to bid on large congresses such as IMF 2003.
Opportunities for creating sophisticated and comprehensive facilities to host international events
New facilities are constantly being developed in the region, and with many new attractions due to open within the next two to three years, such as Dubailand and The Palm projects, Dubai as a destination will offer many options to incentive planners.
As Dubai's commercial appeal increases - as evidenced by the growth in business over the past 18 months and the sizeable increase in exhibitions being held in the region - we will need facilities to match demand.
One of our most important issues is the infrastructure upgrade to cope with the growing traffic levels in the city. The monorail system is due to open in 2010 and lane enlargement/additional interchanges across the city's main highways are under construction. It is definitely an integral part in the continued success of Dubai as a major international destination, especially if we are looking to cater to large conventions where 5,000 to 10,000-plus people need to move from within the city as well as from the beach areas.
Improvement and overhaul in Dubai's existing MICE facilitiesThere is a shortage of private car/bus rental companies within the UAE, which should be available to cater for the large conventions that we are foreseeing in Dubai. We need either current companies to increase their inventories or new rental companies to establish themselves in this region.
Avenues for entertainment for international business visitorsDubai offers several different forms of entertainment, from outdoor activities (golf, dune bashing, rock climbing, and beach activities) to a multitude of restaurants offering quality dining experiences as well as numerous popular evening entertainment spots. A good example is the Fairmont's Peppermint Lounge club night at the hotel, which has attracted both the local and international party crowd, with recognised celebrities including Gordon Ramsay and Richard Branson joining in the fun.
Fairmont's role as a prominent venue for international events and delegatesThe Fairmont Dubai has hosted many regional and international events. The Fairmont Dubai was the official hotel of the 'Leaders in Dubai Conference' held at the Dubai International Convention Centre, where world-renowned personalities such as Rudi Guiliani and Jack Welch addressed a high profile audience made up of the city's business leaders.
And finally, special offers for MICE marketDuring the summer months, which are slightly quieter (although demand patterns have changed over the past two years) we are offering a special discount to any MICE group from the European/North America market segment that book a group with a Friday arrival. We also have competitive summer rates starting from AED 549++ for MICE groups.
All our national sales offices in Europe and North America are actively promoting this offer and we also work with the local agents on all offers, to spread the word effectively to our key clients.
How do surgeons, treasurers share this 'Grand' platform?
Grand Hyatt Dubai is the emirate's only city conference resort hotel, and the 674-room property offers state-of-the-art facilities and sophisticated services for the global conferencing industry. ArabAd met with Sven Hoffmeyer, director of marketing, who elaborated on what shapes the business. Excerpts from the interview are published below. On existing MICE facilities
The UAE offer first class MICE facilities, which are definitely on par with international well-established MICE destinations. Now more than ever, there is a large range of meeting package options being offered by leading hotels, plus purpose built conference and exhibition centres. And this trend is set to grow.
On competing with established global venuesOf course, the Asian and European MICE markets are well established, and thus the level of service and expertise is second to none. Dubai is booming in all areas, but the city is still finding its feet as it strives to stand up with the established MICE experts. The gap is decreasing due to the efforts of DTCM as well as the Dubai Convention Bureau in their aggressiveness in promoting Dubai as a desirable destination, and thus helping the MICE industry to grow international business.
On creating new opportunities
The success of Dubai's development, highlights that without doubt, there is room for growth. The success and superb organisation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) convention as a high profile global event shows that Dubai is able to handle such large-scale international events paving room for the future of more prominent events in the city.
Offering 4,340 square metres of flexible conference and meeting facilities, Grand Hyatt Dubai's Convention Centre is served by its own private driveway, a grand entrance and lobby area. Two ballrooms provide elegant venues for up to 2,000 delegates theatre-style, while 11 meeting rooms serve as options for smaller events. Our Events Lawn also provides for alfresco functions.
Among the many events we hosted are: IMF (September 2003), Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (March 2004), Western Union FSI conference (March 2004), EuroFinance Conferences Limited, March 2004), 3rd Annual Conference on Trade, Treasury & Cash Management in ME (March 2004), 3rd Annual World Diamond Council Meeting (March 2004), Dubai International Holy Quran Awards (March 2004), Hosted buyer hotel for ATM (2003 and 2005).
The Government of Dubai, together with all our domestic airlines, hotels and partners have been agressive in their stance to play host to a number of key international events. As one of the key conference hotels in Dubai, we are prepared to pull out all stops in our achieving this mission.
On improvement and overhaulWe do need a specialised venue to showcase events of a more cultural level like international musicals, concerts, etc. Dubai is a very cosmopolitan city, which attracts many internationally renowned names, and projects and it is key to showcase this. Evidently, this would be an additional attraction for visitors in offering evening entertainment options and would no doubt be a factor to increasing current average lengths of stays.
On entertainment for business visitorsDubai offers a lot, and yes, there will be several more, especially with the upcoming facilities at Dubai Festival City and Mall of the Emirates, along with the Dubailand development. From dining to sport and recreation, Dubai will pretty much have it covered once these projects reach completion.
On international marketing effortsWe aim to ensure active participation at all the prominent European travel exhibitions and road shows, and through our advertising efforts in the various market-specific regional and international publications. The brand is further expanded into the European market through the efforts of the Hyatt Worldwide Sales offices, which are supported by frequent sales trips to the European headquarters of major corporations and the hosting of FAM groups throughout the year. DTCM and DCB are also very supportive in promoting key hotels and as Grand Hyatt Dubai; we are unique in our position as a city conference resort hotel.
On special offers for the MICE marketWe offer tailor made packages as well as standard meeting packages based on client requirements, and are able to accommodate any type of function from a small boardroom meeting for six to a large concert (pending numbers), doing our utmost to cater to any additional/special request. It is important to be creative and flexible.
© ArabAd 2005
