Professional Congress Organisers from across the globe came together in Dubai for the 2017 IAPCO
Annual Meeting and General Assembly.
Hosted by Dubai-based IAPCO member company Meeting Minds Experts, and supported by Dubai
Business Events (DBE), this landmark event celebrated the highest recorded attendance for an IAPCO
Annual Meeting taking place outside of Europe, with 115 delegates from over 30 countries participating. The
meeting took place from February 16-19, at Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights.
Dubai is the first city in the GCC region to host the IAPCO meeting and General Assembly, now in its 48th
year. The successful event was themed around ‘Leading the Future, Creating Opportunities’, and over the
course of three days, industry leading lights took to the stage to discuss both the opportunities and the
challenges facing the modern conference and convention industry.
Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing
(DCTCM), said: “We are extremely honoured for the opportunity to host an event of such a calibre and
welcome members of IAPCO to the city we fondly call home. This further strengthens Dubai’s profile as a
premier international business event destination and highlights the emirate’s diversified offering–comprising
global connectivity, state-of-the-art facilities, first-class infrastructure, and great hospitality–to key
stakeholders who shape the business events industry. As our reputation of being a dynamic host city for
business events grows, we anticipate further growth in the number of visitors to the emirate in line with
Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020 and the UAE Vision 2021.”
The IAPCO 2017 programme was packed with inspiring and informative keynotes, lively debate sessions, a
destination teamwork challenge and the Driving Excellence Awards Ceremony celebrating the
achievements of IAPCO members. Of course, there were plenty of opportunities for networking, as well as
treating guests to Arabia’s famous hospitality with a desert Bedouin experience and other social occasions
with a local flavour.
Commenting on the meeting, Jan Tonkin, said: “This year’s annual meeting and general assembly offered a
unique platform to discuss the all-important quality standards we strive to achieve globally, and to network
with other like-minded partners in an environment that is more than collegial. Attendees were made privy to
best practice in addition to witnessing outstanding presentations from experts who stimulated each to think
differently.”
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