Qatar emerges as a major MICE destination: al-Kharji

“Qatar is home to state-of-the-art Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibition (MICE) facilities and venues,” HE the Qatar Tourism (QT) chairman Saad bin Ali al-Kharji has said. While delivering the remarks during the Global Exhibitions Day (GED) by QT, al-Kharji noted that Qatar has a tremendous number of 128 venues offering a combined exhibition capacity of 70,000.

The maiden GED celebration in the Middle East was in partnership with UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

The event was attended by the chairman of the Arab Union for International Exhibitions and Conferences (AUIEC) Sheikh Jabor bin Yousef bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani and UFI regional director Naji El Haddad.

Al-Kharji said that MICE is a priority pillar driving growth in Qatar’s tourism sector. GED serves as a platform for networking and fruitful exchanges between industry leaders, stakeholders and potential clients, making it an important event in the exhibitions sector for Qatar. “We aim to increase the number of exhibitions in the country to further contribute to Qatar’s success as a leading regional hub of the MICE industry. Supported by well-advanced infrastructure, a business-friendly ecosystem, and state-of-the-art venues, Qatar has solidified its position as a favourable MICE destination for its capability for hosting mega events. Qatar has built a strong track record of successfully hosting major events and conferences, attracting over 100,000 visitors. These include the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) 2023, Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) and Web Summit 2024,” the QT chairman noted.

The GED 2024 celebration hosted key stakeholders from the exhibitions industry, both locally, and from the wider region. QT has been a Diamond Sponsor of UFI since 2018, the highest tier of partnership for UFI. Qatar Tourism and UFI share a long-standing history as strategic partners in developing MICE industry in the country. In addition, the sponsorship also promotes Qatar to UFI’s global network of members and strategic key markets. Qatar hosted the UFI MEA Conference last year, which further augmented Qatar’s exhibition sector by positioning Qatar firmly in the exhibitions market.

The GED event included discussions on topics ‘Unlocking Opportunities: Qatar’s Business Events Industry Outlook and Potential’ and ‘Challenges and Solutions for Venues of the Future’. Running under the theme ‘Exhibitions are catalysts to sustainable futures’, the GED is focusing on four key pillars; exhibitions drive progress, exhibitions facilitate economic growth, exhibitions are sustainable and exhibitions connect people.