ICCA Establishes Middle East Base
May 19, 2015
The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) joins the pioneering ranks of international associations aiming to establish a stronger presence in the Middle East on May 19 after receiving the formal approval to register and establish an official presence in the Dubai Association Centre.
A search is underway to recruit a full-time regional director who will build on the successful work of the current representation company, Al Ketbi Consultancy, which established ICCA’s first local presence in the region in September 2012 and will continue in this role until the new office is fully operational later this year.
This move follows an invitation from the heads of the three organizations that established the Dubai Association Centre, H.E. Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and H.E. Helal Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, and reflects the importance of the region as an international meetings market, and the potential for international association meetings activity, ICCA’s area of expertise.
ICCA President Nina Freysen-Pretorius said: “The ICCA Board decided last year to award our 2018 Congress to Dubai in recognition of the region’s enormous potential for meetings industry growth, and we watched with great interest as the Dubai Association Centre was set up to give associations a legal and operationally efficient way to establish a presence in the Middle East. When the invitation came to register, it was perfectly timed with our strategic plans for the region, so we were delighted to accept.”
Atiq Juma Nasib, senior vice president, Commercial Services Sector, Dubai Chamber said: “Dubai Association Centre has been set up to provide a formal environment for associations to establish a base in Dubai — a gateway to the world’s fastest growing economies. Associations play a vital role in the development of the economy and support a vast range of professions and academic fields throughout the Middle East. We are pleased to welcome ICCA to Dubai Association Centre and to provide them with the full flexibility, adaptability, buying power and centralized facilities that we have to offer.”
Pictured left to right: ICCA CEO Martin Sirk; ICCA President Nina Freysen-Pretorius; Director of Dubai Business Events Steen Jacobsen; and Director – Commercial of Dubai World Trade Centre Mahir Abdulkarim Julfar. Credit: Jens Braune del Angel