Dubai wins bid to host 40th IAA World Congress in 2006

About 3,000 of the world's most influential advertising, marketing and media professionals will attend the three-day Dubai 2006 advertising convention.

Dubai's bid to host the Congress was presented to the IAA global board by a team led by Joseph Ghossoub, Area Director of the IAA for the Middle East and Africa at the recently held Asian Advertising Congress (Ad Asia 2003) in Jaipur, India. Key members of the team included IAA UAE Chapter board members Mr. Rajiv Khanna and Mr. Tanvir Kanji.

"I congratulate the IAA on the excellent quality of its Dubai 2006 bid and urge it to match Dubai 2003, the recently held World Bank/IMF annual meetings in September this year for flawless organisation and delegate hospitality," said Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Dubai Development and Investment Authority.

"I am confident that with our world-class infrastructure, logistics-support and reputation for unrivalled hospitality make Dubai an ideal setting for a gathering as prestigious as the IAA World Congress 2006," he said. Mr. Gergawi congratulated the UAE Chapter of the IAA, and in particular Mr. Joseph Ghossoub, for their vision and efforts in bringing the Congress to Dubai.

"This win against stiff competition from advertising and marketing centre in the USA and Europe is recognition of the sterling work of Dubai-based professionals in the field of advertising and marketing and will put Dubai on the global advertising map," said an elated Mr. Ghossoub, who also serves as member of the IAA Global Executive Committee and Board Member of the Dubai Media Foundation.

"Dubai's energy cements the city's status as the Middle East's creative and media hub especially and is a definitive milestone of the concerted efforts of the IAA UAE Chapter and the Dubai Media City. We look forward to a wide-ranging dialogue with leading global marketing, branding and communications experts," he said.

"This is a tremendous honour and opportunity for the IAA-UAE Chapter and of course for the City of Dubai and reflects the international standing and growing popularity of Dubai as a global meeting place," said Ian Fairservice, President of the IAA-UAE Chapter.

Dubai 2006, tentatively scheduled during March 16 - 18, of that year, will take place at the Dubai International Convention Centre. It will investigate advertising's role in the media and redefine benchmarks of creativity in a marketplace where attitudes and preferences are changing fast.

Dubai stands to benefit from an additional influx of tourist dollars allied to the international marketing and media focus that the congress will generate.

The IAA World Congress is held once in two years and the 39th edition will be held in Beijing on September 7-10, 2004, with a theme of "Breakthrough - Into the Future."