BestCities global alliance to certify service standards

The idea of having a dedicated convention bureau to promote Dubai's meeting, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) was made with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) announcing the formal opening of the Dubai Convention Bureau on March 31, 2003.

Steen Jakobsen, Chair of BestCities, said: "The partners in BestCities will be the first convention bureaus in the world to certify their services. The certification will prove to clients that each partner provides a professional, consistent and quality driven service. We have appointed Lloyds Register Quality Assurance to certify our unique standards and look forward to working closely with them on this exciting project."

The BestCities' vision is to be recognized internationally for being innovative and delivering the world's best convention bureau practices for the meetings industry. Its mission is to deliver the worlds' best service experience for the meetings industry.

Mr. Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Director of Dubai Convention Bureau, said:" It is an important benchmark for Dubai since it will help in documenting its success in providing the best quality-driven services to the MICE industry."

Ms. Lisa Klint, General Manager, BestCities, said: "The Alliance's core proposition is the assurance of consistent quality. We believe that the certification will lead to continuous improvement of our services and improve our global recognition."

The convention bureaus which make up the BestCities alliance are Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Melbourne, San Juan, Singapore and Vancouver.