Khalifa Al Qubaisi Named ICCA Middle East Chapter Chairperson for Second Consecutive Term

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 20 April, 2016 – Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Head of Sales - Congresses and Conferences, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), has been named Chairperson of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) - Middle East chapter for the second consecutive term.

Taking over the mandate in 2014 for his first term, Al Qubaisi became the first Emirati to assume the coveted position in the conferences and meetings sector since ICCA’s inception in 1963.

Speaking on his re-appointment, Al Qubaisi said: “I am honoured to represent ICCA in the region for a second consecutive term. Over the past two years, the ICCA Middle East chapter has made tremendous efforts to strengthen the association’s presence in the region in line with the rapid expansion witnessed by the congress and conferences sector. We have collaborated with our partners from the local business tourism community in improving the competitiveness of regional venues and building their knowledge and expertise for the global congress and convention landscape. This in turn has helped our stakeholders develop successful bidding strategies to attract major international events.”

Al Qubaisi joined ADNEC in October 2011 at a leading role in the conference sales team where he gained insights into new business methods in congress and conference sales management, built broad business networks and organised leading international conferences and events.

He was later appointed Head of Sales - Congresses & Conferences. In this capacity, Al Qubaisi leveraged his global expertise in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) sector to convince major international associations to hold their conferences and events at ADNEC.

Khalifa Al Qubaisi holds a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Drexel University, Pennsylvania, US.

The Middle East Chapter of ICCA offers workshops and training programmes for event organisers in collaboration with ICCA’s head office in Amsterdam. As its members, the chapter has hotel operators, land, sea and air transport companies, tourism offices and conference organisers, among others.

ICCA was founded in 1963 by a group of travel agents to explore practical ways to engage with the travel industry in organising international meetings and conferences, as well as to exchange industry best practices. Since then, the initiative has driven the development of the conference and meetings sector worldwide. With nearly 1,000 members and suppliers from more than 90 countries, ICCA’s network provides members with a platform to deliver top quality products and services to international meetings and share global best practices.