Abu Dhabi. As a strategic partner, Abu Dhabi will play an active role in the SITE community participating at all global events and availing of SITE’s extensive educational programming including Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) certification. It will also host SITE Executive Summit – recently staged in Istanbul, Turkey – in 2020.

The strategic partnership will kick off in early January when a high-level delegation of SITE international buyers and DMC experts will travel to Abu Dhabi to conduct a destination audit and work with the local MICE community on product development and positioning.

The partnership reflects ADCB’s mission to expand opportunities and become a key player within the business events (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions – MICE) industry.
Commenting on the partnership, Mubarak Hamad Al Shamsi, Director of the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau said: “Our partnership with SITE is aimed at raising the profile of Abu Dhabi as a leading destination for incentive travel experiences by highlighting the capital’s unique characteristics, excellent services and outstanding offerings. Abu Dhabi’s high level of safety, resilient infrastructure, combined with its rich culture and wide-range of events and unique venues – such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and Ferrari World, make it the ultimate destination for experiential incentive events.”

“Judicious and sustained investment in product and expertise has made Abu Dhabi one of the most exciting emerging destinations in the world today. SITE is proud to add the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau to its constellation of strategic partners and looks forward to working with the team there to highlight its extraordinary appeal as a top location for truly unique incentive travel experiences. Moreover, SITE’s vision to build and bridge cultures chimes perfectly with Abu Dhabi’s championing of creativity, opportunity, intercultural dialogue and cultural exchange. These are the values that underpin our strategic partnership and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship”, said Didier Scaillet, CIS, CITP, CEO of SITE.

ADCB has also announced major development plans for 2020, with the objective of increasing the number of incentive travel trips to Abu Dhabi. The partnership with SITE will ensure ADCB’s incentive travel partners and suppliers are properly equipped through specialized education and certification programs to promote Abu Dhabi as a key player in the industry. Some of the major upcoming events in 2020 include the World Urban Forum (WUF10), World Wound Healing Congress, and the World Congress for Nephrology, IEEE International Conference on Image Processing and Art Basel Inside which will bring together thousands of delegates to the capital.  

The United Arab Emirates is ranked No. 7 in terms of safety and security in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 by World Economic Forum (WEF). This significant accolade, along with the capital’s infrastructure, support services, direct access from some of the top cities in North America, Asia, and Europe, as well as its world-class hospitality venues and signature accommodations like Emirates Palace, The Ritz Carlton, Rosewood and the St Regis, contribute to strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a top destination for hosting business events.