Below: World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 ARAB HEALTH EXHIBITION AND CONGRESS STATS


Arab Health, the second largest healthcare exhibition in the world according to organiser Informa Middle East, has its finger on the pulse of the region’s pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.


VISITOR GROWTH 2009 2010 2011 2012


50,384 61,274 66,175 76,101


In 2012, Arab Health welcomed 3,094 visitors, up from 2,653 in 2010 with 63 countries represented and 32 pavilions.


US$22 billion Arab Health


PERFECT PITCH Long lead times and the highly specialised nature of the industry means that time and effort spent on pitching for congress business needs to go above and beyond a ‘template’ approach. “Every association or owner of a medical meeting has different standards. The primary requirement is to have staff that under- stand the industry and who are aware of what is going on in the various fields as well as establishing long- term relationships with the industry’s ‘go to gurus’, lobbyists and influencers,” says Lolliot. MCI’s John agrees: “You need to understand the


dynamics around the meeting and identify with the customer. We aren’t, nor do we need to be, medical specialists, but we do understand the industry and the important issues.” “You also need to travel and attend conferences


years ahead of time, get to know the key players involved, understand how they work and why they would consider the UAE as a potential location. There has to be a value to bringing a congress or meeting here and a clear commercial rationale. It’s not rocket science. It is sometimes just a matter of analysing previous events, from the hotels used, a particu- lar pitch’s creativity and added value,” says Lolliot. Endorsement of non-commercial events by the


DHA or HAAD is a quality label that immediately adds significant value and integrity. Lolliot also says that the authorities are quick to comment if an event doesn’t stack up in terms of content or programme. “We are extra careful when using generic language


for authority or association events in the content, as we can’t reference a specific brand – for example, Panadol, where we would use the generic reference ‘paracetamol’ instead,” clarifies John.


estimated direct economic benefit of the World Opthalmology Congress 2012


DIARY DATES 2012


Abu Dhabi Medical Congress October 14 to 16, ADNEC abudhabimed.com


2013


Arab Health Congress 2013 January 28 to 31, DICEC arabhealthonline.com


DUPHAT – Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technolo- gies Conference and Exhibition March 10 to 12, DICEC duphat.ae


8th Interdisciplinary World Con- gress on Low Back & Pelvic Pain October 27 to 31, InterContinen- tal Hotel Dubai Festival City worldcongresslbp.com


International Conference on Neurology Epidemiology (ICNE) November


neuro-conference.com


2015 The World Conference on Tobacco or Health March, ADNEC


Asian Pacific Cardiology Congress ADNEC


A HEALTHY FUTURE All eyes are currently on Abu Dhabi and Dubai as regional leaders in the race to attract rotating congress calendar events. The resultant eco- nomic impact on the UAE is a double whammy. TCA Abu Dhabi estimates the direct eco-


nomic benefit of the World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 to be almost US$22 million (around AED80 million), with an average del- egate spend of US$523 (AED1,920). The Asia Pacific Congress 2015, already confirmed to take place in the emirate, is expected to draw 3,000 delegates and contribute an anticipated direct economic impact of US$3.95 million (around AED14.5 million). “ICCA statistics report that a congress


delegate spends over US$2,000 on average, excluding airfare and in addition to tourism revenues generated during the actual event,” says DBI’s Bachar. “The knock-on benefits of large-scale congresses include an increase in medical business market share gained through the creation of new private entities linked to healthcare and job creation. “International associations are now consid-


ering Dubai for their world congresses using the city as part of a regional rotation that either falls into Asia Pacific or the Middle East & Africa. This was the case in 2011 with the HUGO Congress, IBA Congress, UITP Con- gress, IDF Congress, the 2012 WHF Congress, ITU WTSA and forthcoming SWIFT SIBOS event in 2013,” he says.


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