Dr Ahmed Al Banna elected to the board of Arab Union for International Exhibitions & Conferences

Dr Ahmed Al Banna was elected to the board of the Arab Union for International Exhibitions & Conferences. He was also appointed as the Assistant Secretary General Communications.

The tenure is for a period of two years.
Speaking on his appointment Dr Ahmed Al Banna said, "I am thankful to the board for having reposed their trust in me. I am privileged to be inducted again to the board and be appointed as the Assistant Secretary General Communications. We stand to benefit from our collective experiences and can leverage our strengths for our common interest to promoting the region through hosting global conferences and exhibitions. The buoyancy in the region's sector of global conferences and exhibitions has enhanced our international standing and image among the visiting delegations."

He added, "The United Arab Emirates is committed to offering and facilitating the exchange of its domain expertise among members. The city of Dubai has a proven track record and demonstrated its capabilities in hosting such global event for which it has been lauded. This was most notably evident in Dubai 2003 - the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund in September 2003 and the fdi Annual World Dental Congress and Exhibition also known as 'fdi Dubai 2007' held in October which was attended by more than 28,000 delegates from the industry."

Formed in 1995, the Arab Union for International Exhibitions & Conferences works within the United Arab Economy Council under the umbrella of the Arab League. The Union is a member of the UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. It is currently chaired by Sheikh Jabir Bin Yousef Al-Thani of Qatar and the first and second deputies are Sheikh Abdullah bin Mahfouz of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed Imad Al Zoubi from Syria respectively.

The Union aims to regulate the sector and encourage the cooperation among its members. The Union which liaises with the UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry also works to facilitate the exchange of expertise among the members.

The membership of the Union is open to all entities that are related to and organize exhibitions and congresses. They may include organizations, corporations, authorities, city councils, service, product and equipment providers.