• IBTM @ ATM, a dedicated show feature spotlighting business events, will debut at ATM 2025

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the leading international event for the travel and tourism sector, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), expanding the business events sector at the 2025 edition of the exhibition.

As the official Business Events Partner for ATM 2025, ICCA will lead sessions on the evolving landscape of global business events, including seminars focusing on the sector's future and addressing key trends such as sustainability, digital transformation, and the integration of AI to enhance event experiences.

Furthermore, ICCA will be responsible for facilitating the attendance of key international association buyers, showcasing the region's diverse offer for event planners, and its capacity to attract large-scale congresses with the long-term outlook of contributing to the region's economy and development.

In addition, the Association will launch an exclusive government meeting ranking report at the show, providing critical data on the Middle East’s growing influence in the business events arena. The organisation has previously highlighted Dubai as the top city in the Middle East for association meetings in 2023 and Abu Dhabi in 2022.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: "Our partnership with ICCA reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional value to the business events sector, which has always been a cornerstone of ATM. We look forward to leveraging ICCA’s global network and insights to deliver unparalleled value to our exhibitors and attendees as we explore the future of business events, particularly in the rapidly expanding international market.”

The latest insights from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) show a strong recovery in the business events sector. Business travel spending is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2024, reaching a record US$1.5 trillion. Dubai has already secured 175 international business events in the first half of 2024, a 24% increase compared to last year, according to Dubai Business Events (DBE), highlighting the UAE’s importance as a key destination for business events.

Dr Senthil Gopinath, CEO of ICCA, added: “We are thrilled to announce a strategic partnership between ICCA and ATM. ICCA will create enhanced value with regard to business and knowledge at Arabian Travel Market. This collaboration represents a significant step toward driving meaningful business engagements, with dedicated sessions, research reports, and networking opportunities for key stakeholders.

“Together, we aim to bring the best of the Business Events to ATM, fostering connections that will leave a lasting impact. The strategic partnership also highlights ICCA’s commitment to sharing exclusive insights on the global meetings industry and future best practices. We look forward to an exciting and productive journey ahead.”

Reinforcing ATM's pivotal role as a platform for the breadth of the travel community, this year’s exhibition will feature the debut of IBTM @ ATM, a specialised zone for suppliers to the business events industry to showcase their offers and connect with buyers through prescheduled appointments and business exchange sessions. The initiative will also include an exclusive conference programme tailored to the business events industry’s latest trends and developments.

This follows growing demand from visitors and exhibitors attending ATM. At the 2024 event over 7,000 attendees and 1,500 buyers expressed an interest in the sector, as well as 400 exhibitors highlighting it as an essential part of their offering.

Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director, IBTM World, said: “As the global platform for the Business Events industry, IBTM is excited to be part of the collaboration with ATM and our long-standing strategic partner ICCA to deliver a tailored experience for event planners and suppliers in the region. With substantial growth anticipated for the business events sector in the Middle East, and increasing demand from suppliers and buyers at ATM wanting to connect, do business and share knowledge and insights, it feels like an opportune moment to use our expertise to support this growth.”

The 32nd edition of ATM will highlight the pivotal role of connectivity in shaping the future of tourism with the theme: “Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity”. Bringing together professionals and industry leaders from the leisure, MICE, luxury and corporate travel sectors, ATM provides a platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and business opportunities, allowing participants to explore the latest trends, innovations, and developments worldwide.

The latest ATM news stories are available at https://hub.wtm.com/category/press/atm-press-releases/.

For more information, log on to wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html.

About ATM:

Now in its 32nd year, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Held annually at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024 spanned 12 halls, making it the largest edition to date. The event attracted over 47,000 attendees and more than 35,000 visitors (including 6,000+ high-value buyers) and over 2,550 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries. In 2025, ATM will expand to 13 halls, growing across all sectors, and will continue to be a crucial gathering for the global travel and tourism industry. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai

ATM takes place from 28 April to 1 May 2025, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai

https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html    

Arabian Travel Week is a week-long festival of events from 28 April to 4 May, alongside Arabian Travel Market 2025. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes IBTM @ATM, Start-Up Competition, Influencers' Event, GBTA Business Travel Forums, ICCA Forums and Business Exchange and ATM Travel Tech. The event also features ATM Buyer Networking and a series of country forums.

https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html     

About RX

RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.

About RELX

RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. *Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors

World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are:

WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.

Next event: 5 to 7 November 2024 at Excel London.

http://london.wtm.com/

WTM Latin America takes place annually in the city of São Paulo and attracts around 20,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers qualified content together with networking and business opportunities. In this its ninth edition – there have been eight face-to-face events along with a 100% virtual one, which was held in 2021 – WTM Latin America continued to focus on effective business generation, and achieved the advance booking of six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents and exhibitors in 2022.

Next event: 14 to 16 April 2025 – Expo Center Norte, SP, Brazil.

http://latinamerica.wtm.com/

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2022, WTM Africa facilitated more than 7 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 7% compared to 2019 and welcomed more than 6 thousand visitors (unaudited), the same number as in 2019.

Next event: 9 to 11 April 2025 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/

About ATW Connect:  Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.

https://atwconnect.com/

WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/

Media contact:
TRINA QUINTANA
Account Manager
Indigo Icon Tower, Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
E-mail: trina.quintana@shamalcomms.com
Website: www.shamalcomms.com

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