The organiser of the Leaders in Dubai conference - which has featured speakers such as the former US president Bill Clinton and former vice president Al Gore - plans to boost its activities in other regional markets amid greater competition from "copycat" events in the UAE.
The conference producer IIR Middle East said last week it had cancelled this year's Leaders in Dubai, which will now run every two years. The company says it plans to hold a similar event in a different city in the MENA region every other year, and to boost the number of other conferences it holds outside the UAE. The next Leaders in Dubai will be held in the fourth quarter of next year. "We are currently rolling out our coveted business events in Cairo as a base for our north African expansion, and are enhancing our activities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to meet growing demand. We would be getting more active in Qatar and Bahrain, too," said Alan Kelly, the divisional director and head of business development at IIR Middle East.
The company would also be opening regional offices, Mr Kelly said. "New markets are opening up. There's a significant need for training at an executive level in other regional countries." Established conference producers have criticised the rise of what Mr Kelly has called "cowboy" events companies in the UAE market. A discussion posting on the social networking site LinkedIn accused one company "copying and pasting agendas straight from competitors".
An industry executive based in the UAE said the copying of conference agendas was common. "This is definitely a problem for us, especially in Saudi Arabia, where some players literally copy and paste events schedules," said the executive, who asked not to be named. "It's obviously frustrating when we do research and someone just goes and copies it." Mr Kelly confirmed the existence of the problem. "A lot of companies look at events like Leaders in Dubai and say 'this looks easy'," he said. "But it isn't. A lot of research goes into such events."
Symon Rubens, the managing director for the Middle East at the events company IQPC, said a number of "lower-quality" events and conference companies had entered the market during the boom. "The low barriers to entry in this industry means individuals can start conference companies literally out of their bedroom or garage, and try to replicate successful events run by established, reputable players," Mr Rubens said.
A few companies in the region were "creating problems for the overall market", he said. Some even advertised speakers as confirmed when they were not, he said. However, Mr Rubens said the problem of "copycat" conference schedules was not unique to the local market. "It happens in every established conference market … and it's something that established conference companies such as IQPC, IIR and Clarion deal with," he said. "At the end of the day, it makes us more committed to running quality events."
IQPC ran 60 conferences in the Middle East, Africa and India last year, expects to have 110 events this year and has 200 planned for next year, Mr Rubens said. "The market is responding well to targeted conferences. That way, delegates know they're going to get specific information," he said. Mr Kelly said some less-established conference organisers had been "weeded out" during the recession. He said that IIR Middle East had organised more than 400 public events and 20 exhibitions this year, a rise on last year. "Dubai will be, for a long time, a centre for conferences, because people like coming here," he said.
bflanagan@thenational.ae
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Switch Foods
Started: 2022
Founder: Edward Hamod
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Plant-based meat production
Number of employees: 34
Funding: $6.5 million
Funding round: Seed
Investors: Based in US and across Middle East
Specs: 2024 McLaren Artura Spider
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and electric motor
Max power: 700hp at 7,500rpm
Max torque: 720Nm at 2,250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100km/h: 3.0sec
Top speed: 330kph
Price: From Dh1.14 million ($311,000)
On sale: Now
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Poacher
Director: Richie Mehta
Starring: Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Rating: 3/5
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
3 Body Problem
Creators: David Benioff, D B Weiss, Alexander Woo
Starring: Benedict Wong, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza Gonzalez, John Bradley, Alex Sharp
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, kick-off 10.45pm
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Aggro Dr1ft
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Jordi Molla, Travis Scott
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: 3S Money
Started: 2018
Based: London
Founders: Ivan Zhiznevsky, Eugene Dugaev and Andrei Dikouchine
Sector: FinTech
Investment stage: $5.6 million raised in total
Top 10 most competitive economies
1. Singapore
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark
4. Ireland
5. Hong Kong
6. Sweden
7. UAE
8. Taiwan
9. Netherlands
10. Norway
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Mountain Boy
Director: Zainab Shaheen
Starring: Naser Al Messabi
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Company name: Cargoz
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Premlal Pullisserry and Lijo Antony
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
Investment stage: Seed
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Tottenham's 10 biggest transfers (according to transfermarkt.com):
1). Moussa Sissokho - Newcastle United - £30 million (Dh143m): Flop
2). Roberto Soldado - Valencia - £25m: Flop
3). Erik Lamela - Roma - £25m: Jury still out
4). Son Heung-min - Bayer Leverkusen - £25m: Success
5). Darren Bent - Charlton Athletic - £21m: Flop
6). Vincent Janssen - AZ Alkmaar - £18m: Flop
7). David Bentley - Blackburn Rovers - £18m: Flop
8). Luka Modric - Dynamo Zagreb - £17m: Success
9). Paulinho - Corinthians - £16m: Flop
10). Mousa Dembele - Fulham - £16m: Success
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 680hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm at 2,750-6,000rpm
Transmission: Rear-mounted eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 13.6L/100km
On sale: Orderbook open; deliveries start end of year
Price: From Dh970,000