The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and its partners in the business events sector have launched the country’s first Business Events Guide.
This ushers in a “new chapter of growth in the sector’s story”, QTA has said in a press statement.
The guide, available both online and in hard copy, offers a “comprehensive resource that will help international event organisers, wherever they are, plan and deliver their exhibitions, conferences, conventions and meetings in Qatar”.
The guide was launched at the first Qatar Business Events Gathering, an event organised by QTA to celebrate the strides taken by the sub-sector to date, and to allow its members to discuss the broader strategy for its development.
The gathering was attended by event organisers, conference and exhibition venues, in addition to the various members of the travel, tourism and hospitality value chain who help make a business event successful.
Addressing attendees, QTA director of exhibitions Ahmed al-Obaidli laid out the authority’s plans to “support the growth of the sector hand in hand with its members” by developing homegrown events that attract international visitors, in addition to cultivating the talent that can deliver those events, developing products and services catering to business visitors, and promoting Qatar to business event planners by hosting familiarisation trips and attending international trade shows.
Al-Obaidli said: “Empowering our partners in the private sector to participate in the national efforts to promote Qatar as a destination for global business events is at the core of our strategy.
“This guide, which was collected with input from all of the sector’s members, will put all the tools needed to organise an event in Qatar at event planners’ fingertips.”
“Ensuring Qatar’s business visitors have an authentic experience that is reflective of Qatar’s culture, requires the collaboration of all the organisations that contribute to this experience, whether they provide transport, accommodation or excursions,” al-Obaidli stated. “The launch of this guide is a source of immense pride for us, as its content reflects all that Qatar’s business events sector has to offer, and the shared commitment each of us has for taking this sector through to its next chapter of success.”
With more than 150 business events taking place in Qatar annually, business events is emerging as a key sub-sector of the country’s tourism industry, accounting for a substantial number of Qatar’s visitors.
To capitalise on this, Qatar’s National Tourism Sector Strategy seeks to triple the number of business events tourists by 2030, contributing at least half of the country’s revenue from tourism spending.
Qatar has already invested heavily in infrastructural developments that provide a major boost to the business events industry, such as the new Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, a large number of 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels coming online, and the 300km Doha Metro project, all of which will substantially enhance Qatar’s ability to host world-class events.
Officials at the launch of the Business Events Guide.
