A total of 500 global wedding experts arrived in Dubai over the weekend for the sixth Annual Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress, organised by Dubai based QnA International at Atlantis, The Palm from March 27-29.
Global luxury wedding experts came together to be a part of the world’s biggest B2B congregation for the destination wedding industry, where they shared their views on the trends and developments in this dynamic multimillion-dollar wedding industry, and potentially looked at Dubai as a hotspot for destination weddings.
Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “Thanks to our world-class hotels and venues, as well as high levels of service across the city, combined with the city’s status as a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, Dubai serves as an ideal destination of choice for couples. With experts in their field sharing their insights and discussing the changing trends in the dynamic wedding industry, this Congress gave us a better and more focused understanding of the industry, helping us shape the future of weddings in Dubai.”
Timothy Kelly, general manager of Atlantis, The Palm, - the Official Hotel Partner for the Congress - said: “We are proud to have hosted the world’s biggest business platform for the destination wedding industry, the sixth Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress. As the official Hotel Partner for the DWP Congress, we showed global luxury wedding experts coming from over 70 countries the endless opportunities we have to offer. Atlantis, The Palm is a magical wedding destination with beautiful indoor and outdoor venues and can cater to every taste and requirement. Our association with the DWP Congress played a huge role in not only placing Atlantis, The Palm, but also Dubai at the forefront of wedding tourism” he said.
The 2019 edition of the DWP Congress boasted a comprehensive conference agenda including inspirational keynote presentations, powerful panel discussions, brainstorming discussions and master classes that happened over a period of two days.
The prelude to the most awaited extravagant congress started with the welcome reception that took place at Nasimi Beach, the happening chic beach club at Atlantis, The Palm, following the theme of a ‘Pearlescent Dream’ that sketches Dubai’s monumental journey from the traditional, culturally rich city to the modern cosmopolitan it has grown into.
To inspire the attendees coming from different corners of the world to Dubai, they were welcomed with a copy of ‘My Story’, the autobiography by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
Day One of the conference had some of the crème-de la-crème of the industry sharing their insights on subjects that matter to wedding connoisseurs today. Renowned Celebrity Floral Designer Preston Bailey, who is recognised by Vogue as the world’s top event designer, opened this year’s conference with a session on redefining goals to succeed in the wedding industry. The jazz trio of Mootassem Elbaba, Hibah Albakree and Marwan Maalouf from Designlab Experience, one of the most well-known names in the Middle East, enlightened wedding planners on using technology and their creative excellence to carve their own niche.
Day Two witnessed parallel streams with the DWP Discussions and the DWP Capture, the creative extensions of the DWP Congress dedicated to photographers, videographers, cinematographers and other creative visual artists, with a stellar speaker line-up including industry stalwarts such as Tom Meggle, the ex-MD of luxury moguls like Louis Vuitton & Cartier; Ali Bakhtiar, wedding planner to the Royalty in the Middle East and the Gala Dinner Partner for the event; Jardel Silva, a celebrated wedding and event designer and also the Welcome Cocktail Reception partner; and a panel discussion dedicated to the promotion of weddings by Tourism Boards across the globe.
“We are extremely excited to have welcomed the leading experts of the wedding world at the sixth Annual Destination Wedding Planners Congress, an exclusive congress that showcased the changing trends within the dynamic industry in Dubai,” said Ackash Jain, director, QnA International.
The gala dinner took place on March 29 and also marked the debut of the DWP ACE Awards, which honoured and highlighted excellence in the luxury wedding industry. - TradeArabia News Service
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