BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is poised to buttress the country’s Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry by strengthening the capacity of organisers through training and membership in world renowned MICE entities.
Hamad Al Abdan, QTA’s Director of Exhibitions said the QTA will keep on bringing big conventions and conferences to Doha but at the same time give the private sector the opportunity to engage the private sector in bringing more such events.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the two-day seminar regional seminar by renowned International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) which opened yesterday at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
“This seminar is first time being organised in Doha. This is one of our most important initiatives for the private sector to guide them on the right process of bringing events to Qatar,” he said.
IAPCO is an international organisation dedicated to professional congress organisers and the aim of this workshop is to give these Qatari companies access to IAPCO, its strategies and formats, in order for them to bring more conferences, he explained.
This is not the first time QTA has brought globally renowned organizations to benefit the sector.
“We brought the UFI — the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and ICCA, (International Congress and Convention Association) last year and IAPCO this year and still more to come,” he said.
As an emerging MICE destination, Qatar will benefit from having a MICE bureau established to support and develop this important industry.
“MICE is a separate entity and in order to drive MICE industry to the right direction, a bureau will be established. It is coming soon but QTA is playing the role of MICE bureau until it is established,” he said.
The two-day seminar is specifically structured to suit Qatari participants’ desire for world-class knowledge, training and best practices. All participants will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance signed by IAPCO.
One of the sessions yesterday entitled “Bidding” focused on the people who must be involved in a bid team, the roles of each one of them, and the specific skills that contribute to a successful bid campaign. The session touched on how to market a brand and show the talent and enthusiasm of the people involved in the organization of MICE events.
Today, a session entitled “Dynamics of Program Management” will provide simplified tips on how to manage and host speakers, while anther session called “Engaging the Delegate: Networking and Social Events” will touch on what makes a congress special and how to create the perfect social environment to maximize interaction between delegates, between delegates and speakers, between delegates and sponsors and exhibitors to achieve effective networking and social interaction.
“This seminar is an endorsement of the future vision of the meetings industry of Qatar, recognizing that education is the route to quality and excellence and the pathway to successful meetings, both bidding and winning, and the delivery”, said André Vietor, Chair of IAPCO Training Academy.
Michel Neijmann, President of IAPCO stressed that “IAPCO sees Qatar as a terminus for future international meetings and an important destination in the conference field.”
The Peninsula
