inConversation... Dubai Business Events' Steen Jakobsen on getting back to business

Thanks to a swift response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of robust health and safety measures across the destination, Dubai’s post-COVID recovery is gathering momentum.

The emirate has just been added to the UK’s safe travel corridor, won a number of major event bids, and is preparing to deliver the world’s only live, in-person technology event of 2020. We caught up with Steen Jakobsen, assistant vice president at Dubai Business Events on the destination’s impressive recovery…

The UAE has just been added to the UK’s safe travel corridor – do you expect this to significantly boost both business and leisure visits?

Every addition of a travel corridor or reactivation of flight routes by Emirates, flydubai and other airlines is a crucial step in the ongoing rebound for Dubai’s tourism sector, and this is largely thanks to bilateral efforts at a federal level between the UAE and countries around the world.

As the third largest source market for international visitors to Dubai in recent years, the UK is particularly important to us for both business and leisure travel, so the UAE’s inclusion in the UK’s travel exemption quarantine list is one that will have a significant impact.

Of course, with many other factors at play, including the ever-changing situation within our source markets, including the UK, we understand that it will take time to recapture pre-Covid visitation levels.  

What can travellers heading to Dubai expect in terms of COVID restrictions/guidelines? 

Responding quickly to the global Covid-19 pandemic and laying the groundwork for the resumption of international tourism on 7 July, Dubai implemented a wide range of measures to safeguard all visitors and residents. This includes the mandatory wearing of facemasks across the city, social distancing, temperature checks at hotels, malls, venues and other locations, as well as enhanced, regular sanitisation.

The effective deployment of these measures has meant that most offerings for international visitors have now safely reopened and the vast range of experiences here, from relaxation and retail to adventure and wildlife, are available to them, as well as the diverse range of hotels and restaurants. 

Are hospitality venues and hotels having to adhere to certain guidelines – if so what are they and how is this being monitored?

Working with other government bodies, Dubai Tourism has established a robust set of guidelines that hotels and hospitality venues – as well as other touchpoints across the city – must adhere to. These include requirements for temperature checks at entrances, minimum social distancing, the wearing of masks, and sanitisation practices.

The respective authorities for these establishments – including Dubai Tourism for hotels – are regularly and rigorously conducting inspections across the city to ensure the safety of visitors, residents and staff.

The Dubai Assured stamp certifies hotels, retail establishments and attractions that have complied with all health and safety protocols to reassure travellers of the city’s ability not only to provide the highest levels of protection and facilitate a well-rounded destination experience, but also to safeguard the health and wellbeing of all communities. 

What policies and protocols have you put in place specifically to ensure business events can take place safely?

Business events resumed in Dubai in September with Dubai Tourism setting out guidelines to ensure the safety of delegates, participants organisers and staff. In addition to social distancing, temperature checks, regular sanitisation and the wearing of masks, these guidelines also cover off aspects such as the provision of F&B, room configurations, safe networking and contactless registration and badge allocation.

Dubai Tourism worked closely with stakeholders to create guidelines that could prioritise this safety while at the same time facilitating the networking, professional development and knowledge sharing that are at the heart of business events.

Are you currently limiting hotel/venue occupancy rates and numbers for business events?

Across all visitor touchpoints, maximum capacity is dependent on ability to allow for social distancing. This also applies to business events – with requirements averaging at a maximum one person per four square metres gross in exhibition and conference areas.

Are international business events taking place in Dubai right now?

Thanks to the quick response to Covid-19 and the measures put in place across the city, local business events resumed on 15 September, with international business events following suit on 1 October.

Since then, a number of major local and international conferences and trade shows have taken place in Dubai, including Cityscape, the Annual Arab Association of Urology Hybrid Conference and the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference.

Gitex Technology Week, taking place 6-10 December, will be another landmark as the world’s only live, in-person technology event of 2020. It will welcome over 1,200 participating companies including over 200 startups who are flying into Dubai from over 60 countries. 

Are you getting many enquiries for business events for 2021?

Thanks to efforts over the past months to keep Dubai top of mind among business event decision makers, as well as the increasing appetite among associations and corporates to resume their crucial face-to-face business events, the city has already been able to secure a number of important meetings, conferences and incentives for 2021 and beyond, adding to the pipeline that had already previously been built.

Among them are: International DIP Symposium on Diabetes, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome and Pregnancy; World Independent Advertising Award Conference; and Omnilife Latin America Incentive.

In a number of cases, where unfortunately other cities have not proved viable for certain events through 2021, we have been able to step in to provide an alternative, and we continue to work with event planners to identify opportunities where Dubai can play a role in restarting their business events.

We continue to see strong interest from planners and organisers, who are recognising Dubai’s rapid response to the pandemic and finding reassurance in the robust measures put in place around health and safety.

How are you communicating the message that Dubai is a safe destination to host events? And how have you had to adapt the way you communicate with event planners?

At the outset of the pandemic, we immediately shifted to virtual meetings and conferences to stay engaged with event planners around the world, and this proved to be very effective.

We’ve also produced case study videos to demonstrate how Dubai is already safely hosting events, taking them through the various measures in place and showing how delegates can still have an enjoyable, productive experience.

Our partnerships with major international organisations within the sector – including BestCities Global Alliance, IAPCO, ICCA, UNICEO and PCMA – have also provided channels through which we can amplify our messaging and leverage their reach among meeting planners, associations and other audiences.

What trends do you expect to see in the meetings and events market over the next year?

The ever-changing situation means it is difficult to predict exactly what the trends and demand will be. Hybrid events will certainly continue to be a way for associations, corporates and organisers to ensure they can both resume their events and be as inclusive as possible. In terms of sizes and types of events, we expect these to vary significantly on a case-by-case basis.

For Dubai as a destination, the key is to be flexible and enable planners to create any size or type of event imaginable and to work with stakeholders to ensure these plans can be realised. 

Do you have a roadmap in place to ensure Dubai remains a key player in the global MICE market post-pandemic?

The key to building on our status as a leading business events destination will continue to be the strong relationships we can build with planners and buyers around the world. As we look to 2021, the resumption of our face-to-face activities, including study missions, roadshows and trade shows, will provide a critical opportunity to showcase Dubai as a business events destination.

At the same time, we will also maintain our virtual outreach as we understand that many planners around the world may not yet be in a position to meet us yet.