Participants attending a session on event management.
Over 20 business events professionals have completed first part of a five-month programme that will see them certified by the Union of International Fairs (UFI). The Event Management Degree (EMD) training programme comes as part of QTA’s efforts to empower local exhibitions professionals and enhance Qatar’s Business Events competitiveness, and is being delivered in collaboration with Exhibition, Convention and Event Management Company (ECE).
Commenting on training programme, Ahmed Al Obaidli, Director of Exhibitions at QTA, said, “Qatar has made great strides in building state-of-the-art infrastructure needed to host large-scale events. This programme forms part of our efforts to give members of the sector tools they need to attract and deliver global business events in Qatar.”
The five-month programme was first launched by UFI —the leading global exhibition’s association — in 2007 with the aim of raising quality standards in the exhibition industry, and has since been delivered 15 times at different locations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The training helps develop essential skills such as project and risk management for exhibitions, sales management, exhibition marketing, strategic management and sustainability in the exhibition industry.
Al Obaidli added, “Programmes such as UFI-EMD offer comprehensive means for linking all aspects of business together. We are proud to see participants join us from the region, reinforcing Qatar’s position as region’s Business Events knowledge hub.”
Layal Thabit, Exhibition Department Head at Qatar Chamber, remarked that her participation in training programme reflects Qatar Chamber’s keenness on empowering its people to excel at what they do. “Qatar Chamber holds numerous exhibitions locally, regionally and internationally which makes this training programme highly relevant and key to ensuring we are kept abreast of international best practices. This training has significantly helped me in developing my approach towards organising and managing exhibitions.
Ammar B Anabtawi, CEO of Final Vision, added, “The programme is helping me to enhance my sector expertise and exchange knowledge with my peers from from the local market and abroad. The new techniques and methodologies I learn will undoubtedly be carried with me to my business and I look forward to sharing them with my team.”
QTA and stakeholders have been stepping up the efforts to establish a solid business events sub-sector equipped with up-to-date facilities and smart infrastructure, managed by the most efficient management systems and supported by the private sector’s active participation.
Qatar’s business events sector boasts growing events management services, exhibition capacity of 70,000 square metres, including world-class venues such as QNCC and the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), an expanded transport network, as well as exceptional accessibility via Qatar Airways’ reach to 150 destinations worldwide.
