Ensure continued future success through innovation and cooperation

dmg events is the global events business arm of world-leading UK multinational media giant， DMGT. Headquartered in Dubai. Since 1989， the operations span the UAE， Saudi Arabia， Egypt， Singapore， Canada， South Africa， Nigeria， China and UK. More than 425，000 visitors attend its circa 100-strong portfolio of annual events.

In recent years dmg events has achieved impressive growth by strategically expanding its operation into emerging and mature markets through the acquisition of complementary businesses and geo-cloning of flagship events. Its trade fairs covers construction， energy， coatings， transport， manufacturing， mining， security， hospitality and interiors. The goal is simple： to accelerate business through face-to-face events.

Business events back in the safe place

Geoff Dickinson， CEO， dmg events introduces， the ambitious and supportive pro-business leadership of the UAE has seen the country recognised as the worlds second safest country in 2021 by Global Finance magazine， and currently ranked first in the world for the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses per 100 people， with circa 70%+ of the population fully vaccinated and 100% vaccination targeted by yearend. This unwavering commitment to public health and safety facilitated a controlled return to business， starting from October 2020. Successful large-scale events welcomed back held by dmg events included GITEX and Gulf Food， along with more high-profile dmg events exhibitions including The Hotel Show and INDEX. Looking ahead， the company is gearing up for two of its most prominent flagship events， The Big 5 and Gastech in September， and ADIPEC in November. The companys UAE success has been mirrored in other countries including Egypt ，Mozambique， South Africa， Kenya and Ethiopia where it is working closely with government and policy makers to prioritise exhibitor and visitor safety amid a fluid global situation.

“Exhibitor and visitor feedback from recent events clearly demonstrates that global businesses are hungry to return to face-to-face meetings and interaction， and they see trade events as the most effective means of marketing and business generation. ”Geoff Dickinson says gladly. “For example， 96% of recent event survey respondents agreed that once lockdown/travel restrictions are lifted， in-person events will be more important than ever in re-establishing contacts and rebuilding networks； while 82% said in-person events are the most effective channel to find new partners and generate new business， 95% of survey respondents also said they plan to attend more in-person events over the next 12 months.”

Innovative business models to ensure continued success

Facing with new challenges in the New Normal， Geoff Dickinson says， “Our goals remain the same and are fully aligned with our clients business expectations as evidenced in recent event feedback.” For example， 68% of survey respondents confirmed that the absence of inperson events negatively affected their ability to market and generate new business.

Geoff Dickinson points out that for what is critical to ensuring continued success in the “new business normal”has been adapting its established business model to overcome post-pandemic challenges. This has included the enhanced adoption of digital communication to complement the face-to-dace offering， which ensures that clients who are unable to attend due to international travel restrictions can still access – and do business through. Meanwhile， the company is also using digital technology to facilitate more efficient face-toface connections between attendees. Geoff Dickinson concludes， “ This is in line with what we have been doing in the three decades since we launched dmg Events， namely constantly evolving our offering to ensure that our events are meaningful experiences and the definitive meeting place. Ultimately， the goal is to let attendees leave with actionable outcomes， having done real business. ”

Overcoming obstacles through closer cooperation

As Geoff Dickinson sees， as a highly international business hub， the challenges for the UAE events industry are clear： COVID-19 travel restrictions， economic uncertainty in event host countries， and ensuring the health and safety of event attendees.

He says， COVID-19 has prompted a refocus of dmg events core value proposition， which is， and will remain， face-to-face interaction to connect markets. With this business backbone， it has accelerated dmg events adoption of digital solutions and pushed digital providers to enhance their own ecosystem. “And increased market players and competition can only result in better products and superior services.” He observes. Digital products are fostering new industry possibilities and adding value to the relevance of live events through new audience attraction and continuity of connection through remote event access for those unable or unwilling to attend. More importantly， the pandemic effect has also instigated a welcome era of closer collaboration between public and private stakeholders， and events continue to be the perfect forum to bring the two parties together to reflect and plan for the future.

Embrace the future with higher relevance

Geoff Dickinson shares about several trends in the industry based on his rich industry experiences.

Threat de-escalation. COVID-19 as a virus is here to stay but in adapting how we meet and do business， and in developing flexible marketplaces that support the business community， the exhibition industry will play a vital role in supporting economic recovery. At the heart of this is a unified exhibition and business events community committed to lobbying with a united voice to get governments and relevant authorities on board.

Increased collaboration. We will see more productive partnerships and collaboration between the private and public sector， between organisers and member bodies. Again， a unified voice will better serve our industries.“We need the full supply chain to co-operate and collaborate in order to act as a catalyst for meaningful change.” He says.

Digital discussion. We will continue to discuss the role of digital in events.

Hotbed for talent. The pandemic has reinforced the relevance of physical， face to face interaction. We have always thrived on diversity and believe that this will also position the industry as a preferred employer for a diverse talent field， regardless of gender， experience， nationality or skills.

With such background， Geoff Dickinson suggests that in order to prepare for the future， it is imperative that businesses remain in close contact with their customers to understand their evolving needs and create events that satisfy exactly that. The exhibition industry needs to collaborate and build partnerships with public sector stakeholders for continued support of events and to leverage those events as a channel to access the private sector. We also need to change perceptions， both ours and our customers， and move away from being seen as ‘space sellers to facilitators of global business and learning experiences. Finally， it is critical that the exhibition industry continues to educate all stakeholders about the non-negotiable value of face-to-face events.