Emerging nations heading to Dubai for Host Cities Summit

Ambitious nations hoping to host the world's biggest events will learn from the best in the business at a summit in Dubai.

Representatives from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Turkey, along with several other emerging countries, will all be at the Host Cities event, which is being held in Dubai on December 4 and 5.

They will be joined by representatives of nations which have already hosted major events, such as Tessa Jowell, the UK Olympic Minister prior to and immediately after London 2012's bid win, and Danny Jordaan from the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup organising team.

Host Cities 2013 is presented by Emirates and is to be held at the Park Hyatt hotel in Dubai.

Boutros Boutros, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, said: “Emirates has a long track record of investing in events all over the world. We firmly believe in the benefits of supporting such occasions and have seen first-hand the dramatic changes that can result from this.

"We also understand the commitment required to host a major international event and we hope Host Cities will help delegates acquire the knowledge and skills required to bring major events to their own cities and countries.”

From Dr Ahmad Belhoul, CEO Tourism Strategy, added: “One of Dubai's key strategic advantages is our geographic location between the emerging markets of Latin America, Africa and the east, and it is one which we continually seek to leverage through positioning ourselves as the meeting place for these markets.

"Host Cities 2013 provides an opportunity for us to bring together specialists in the event industry from these markets to share best practice in how to bid for and stage events but also to show the delegates why Dubai is fast becoming known as a global destination for events and entertainment.”

Host Cities 2013 brings together a broad spectrum of event industry leaders from around the world.

Across two days, they will examine the challenges faced by emerging cities when bidding for events, such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.

The summit will also focus on a wide range of other major events and exhibitions and what they can bring to a city looking to increase its profile on the world stage. 

Event Partner Falcon and Associates, which works on behalf of the Dubai leadership and facilitated Dubai's sponsorship of Channel 4 Racing and the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, is looking forward to welcoming a diverse line-up of industry experts to the emirate.

“Dubai has been an international meeting place for centuries and it is encouraging to see the Host Cities summit continue that rich tradition,” said Giselle Pettyfer, Vice Chairman of Falcon.

“With speakers and delegates representing all four corners of the world, each with different perspectives and fresh ideas, Host Cities will be a powerful platform for sharing knowledge on how to win and host major events.”

This will be the second Host Cities summit to be held in Dubai.

Last year a hot topic was the challenges faced by Qatar in holding the World Cup in 2022 and the possibility of other Middle East countries following in their footsteps.

Stay up to date with all Host Cities information at www.host-cities.com