ADTA has lead Abu Dhabi's participation at AIME 2008

The event was held recently at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 19 to 20 February 2008.

With 850 business events industry exhibitors from 50 countries in attendance this year, AIME is one of the major tradeshows for the global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) industry

The Abu Dhabi Pavilion covered over 60 square metres of floor space, and featured some of the Emirate's major business tourism companies, including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC), Etihad Airways and Le Meridien Hotel.

The Pavilion enabled the ADTA to showcase the new Abu Dhabi brand identity, as well as for its industry partners to present their meetings and incentives facilities to a wide range of decision-makers and industry buyers from key markets covering Australia, Asia , Europe and North America.

Dayne Lim, ADTA's Director of Product Development, said: "We're delighted to once again participate in this important tradeshow for the meetings industry as it provides us and our business partners with an ideal platform in promoting the best of Abu Dhabi in terms of our business tourism products and services. Our participation in AIME is part of the ADTA's overall strategic aim to strengthen the Abu Dhabi's presence on the global MICE stage, and impress upon key decision-makers within the meetings industry our diversity of tourism products and services, as well as major developmental projects in the pipeline in the Emirate

He added: "The ADTA is encouraged by the increased global interest in Abu Dhabi's emergence as a destination for business tourism. Business tourism; covering corporate and association meetings, incentive travel and major exhibitions, have proven to be amongst the most lucrative market segments within the tourism industry globally, with a higher propensity for spending being generated by meeting delegates, incentive travel participants and exhibition attendees. As such, we have made the development of Abu Dhabi's business tourism infrastructure, as well as attraction of more business events to the Emirate, key pillars in our long-term product developmental strategies.".

As part of its recurrent marketing and promotional initiatives to position Abu Dhabi as a world-class tourist destination, ADTA has also leveraged on AIME 2008 to showcase a variety of existing and upcoming mega tourism projects and investments in the emirate, including the "Cultural District" on Saadiyat Island which encompasses the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum of Modern Contemporary Art, Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Maritime Museum and Performing Art Center of Theatres & Arts.

Stressing the importance of participating in AIME, Gillian Taylor, ADTA's Business Tourism MICE Manager, said:"AIME exposes us to targeted markets included in our plan which aims to position Abu Dhabi as the premier business tourism destination in the world. We work closely with the government and private sectors, as part of ADTA's role, when it comes to participating in such international business tourism-related shows considering the need to promote Abu Dhabi as a team and having a unified marketing front.

Taylor added: "AIME is an opportunity for us to show what Abu Dhabi has to offer to business tourism participants from around the world including those from our targeted markets such as the Australian and the Pacific. We know that MICE segment is always on the look-out for something new and exciting and Abu Dhabi is currently on the right track to deliver it considering its dramatic pace of development of conferences and exhibitions industry facilities."

"With Abu Dhabi's strong presence at AIME 2008 featuring some of top travel and business tourism organisations, we can showcase many offerings that position Abu Dhabi as a major enabler of successful meetings and incentives events and activities. This includes quality travel, tourism and airline services, advanced road and transportation network, and modern conferences and exhibitions facilities equipped with cutting edge ICT technology. We will use the event to further promote Abu Dhabi's capabilities in providing investors in the tourism industry with all required financial and banking facilities alongside laws and regulations in place to encourage local and foreign capital inflow and insuring high returns on investment".

Mubarak Rashid Al Nuaimi, ADTA's Business Tourism Development Section Head, said: "Our participation in AIME 2008 reflects ADTA's commitment to supporting business tourism industry from both the government and private sectors and facilitating their success in such international incentives and meetings event. The show represents an ideal business platform for our Abu Dhabi's participants from top travel and business tourism companies to meet and conduct business with a large number of investors, incentive travel buyers and those involved in the meetings and incentive industry from around the world. They will also have the opportunity to brief visitors to the stand on the ideal infrastructures that Abu Dhabi has to offer in terms of business tourism and the diversity of the emirate's tourism products and services that meet their business tourism interests and requirements".