Job Title: Conference & Exhibition Section Head
Sector: Tourism
Department: Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau
Section: Conference & Exhibition Section
Job Purpose
Grow awareness of Abu Dhabi as a global conference and exhibition destination and develop the local conference and exhibition ecosystem through capacity and capabilities building; whereby we have a ready pool of stakeholders to partner the Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) in attracting and/or launching international and regional conferences and exhibitions.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Performance Leadership
- Contribute to ADCEB’s annual business plan and budget, ensuring the Section’s objectives align with departmental and DCT strategies.
- Set clear KPIs related to event acquisition, conversion rates, economic impact, and ecosystem engagement, and ensure targets are met or exceeded.
- Monitor the sector and Section performance, identify shortfalls, and implement corrective actions as required.
- Support the continuous review and improvement of the MICE Strategy, aligning with evolving market opportunities and stakeholder needs.
Conference and Exhibition Operations
- Secure conferences and exhibitions in Abu Dhabi through business development activities and submit proposals or bids (if applicable) in response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the relevant conference/ exhibition organisations. Develop proposals that are inspiring, timely and respond to the organisers’ unique needs. Manage the business development process end-to-end including strategy development, liaison and communications with relevant stakeholders in UAE and/or Abu Dhabi. Supervise less experienced team members and guide them on business development process.
- Coordinate with other units and departments within DCT to conduct feasibility studies in relevance to any business event and/or bid opportunities (if applicable) to ensure that any bids or engagements with local and international organisers would further advance DCT’s strategic priorities.
- Conduct research and benchmark analysis to understand the operations of local ecosystem of conference and exhibition organisers / sector champions and experts (e.g. governmental departments) and Abu Dhabi’s economic priorities (e.g. Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision) in order to identify business event opportunities. Supervise and guide less experienced team members on research and business development processes.
- Identify local thought leaders and sector experts that could typically support business development activities; bids (if applicable).
- Work closely with tourism sector’s ecosystem e.g. venues, hotels, etc, and business event organizers to create attractive packages and incentives for conferences and exhibitions. Manage special programs/initiatives to increase conferences and exhibitions.
- Position Abu Dhabi as the premier destination for business events in the region by leveraging the strengths of Abu Dhabi’s key industry sectors and identify strategic partnerships and initiatives to deliver that objective.
- Develop and maintain relationships with business event organisers/associations including UFI, IAEE, SISO and relevant MICE stakeholders to develop and promote Abu Dhabi as an attractive destination for business events.
- Manage and co-ordinate participation in relevant international tradeshows or MICE association’s events to generate association convention business leads to build a pipeline of business events in Abu Dhabi.
- Spearhead and coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to develop the business events strategy for prioritized industry clusters.
- Ensure leveraging data gathered by business intelligence team (MICE baseline, MICE steering model metrics, etc.) to perform analyses on segments, understand Abu Dhabi baseline, monitor gap to target vs. steering model metrics in-line with the defined strategy.
- Manage section’s CRM database and business intelligence to influence key decision-makers to choose Abu Dhabi as host city for the identified business events.
- Closely coordinate with MICE officers in international markets in relationship management with MICE stakeholders by providing projects’ background and actions required.
- Evaluate and recommend Advantage Abu Dhabi grant support towards eligible business events, administer the process including issuance of letter of offer to successful applicant; and ensure all supporting documents are in order for grant disbursement in-line with the defined goals and KPIs.
- Organize site inspection for event prospects (in coordination with Event Services team if required) and assist with organizer’s market feasibility study, and ensure arrangements for selected events based on number of delegates in-line with the defined goals.
- Support organiser’s event to ensure success, e.g. facilitate introductions to in-market sponsors, speakers. Support DCT’s event licensing processes; coordinate with DCT Culture sector to organize cultural activations at the event, etc.
- When required, work with ADCEB’s marketing lead to support organiser’s event PR and marketing activities e.g. press conference, press release, social media posts, etc
- Seek organiser’s support in promoting Abu Dhabi destination leisure offerings via the event marketing channels e.g. website; eDMs. And connect the organiser’s marketing team with ADCEB’s marketing lead to ensure promotional and advertising activities for ADCEB supported business events drive awareness and build attendance to the business events.
Stakeholder Engagement & Governance
- Build and sustain productive relationships with government entities, local and international associations, and private-sector partners to drive business event growth.
- Coordinate with DCT’s international offices and other sectors to ensure cohesive destination promotion and support for identified business opportunities.
- Ensure accurate and timely data input into CRM and reporting tools to enable performance tracking, intelligence gathering, and decision-making.
- Prepare and submit performance reports, strategy updates, and business analyses to leadership, highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations.
People Management
- Manage the effective achievement of assigned objectives through the leadership of the Section by setting individual objectives, managing performance, developing and motivating staff to maximize performance.
- Lead the talent development initiatives for the assigned section, collaborating with technical/discipline experts and thereby ensure the availability of talent to fit business requirements.
- Act as a role model and drive adherence to organizational values and ethics by employees of the assigned section to foster a value driven culture within the organization.
Budgeting and Financial Planning
- Manage the preparation and recommend the section budget and monitor financial performance versus the budget while ensuring all sectional activities are conducted in line with the approved guidelines.
Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures
- Manage and ensure effective implementation of functional policies, procedures and controls covering all areas of assigned section activity so that all relevant procedural/legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.
- Update policies, procedures when required to ensure section’s efficiency and effectiveness
Continuous Improvement
- Lead the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and sustainability of systems, processes and practices considering global standards, productivity improvement and cost reduction.
Annual Planning & Performance Management
- Contribute to the development of the Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau department’s annual business plan, ensuring that the plans for the Conferences & Exhibitions are relevant, challenging and achievable.
- Monitor and report on the performance of the unit and individuals in line with criteria set by the Strategy and Planning Sector.
- Identify potential shortfalls against performance targets and recommend activities to address such issues.
Conferences & Exhibitions Operations
- Position Abu Dhabi as the premier destination for business events in the region by leveraging the strengths of Abu Dhabi’s key industry sectors and developing unique related products.
- Develop creative and relevant proposals to attract best-in-class exhibitions and conferences, managing the bidding and pitching process from start to finish including strategy development, liaison and communications.
- Lead on collaborating with MICE associations (i.e. MICE group of entities that focuses on collaboration & knowledge) to gather knowledge, increase awareness of Abu Dhabi as a MICE event destination and ensure identifying leads and opportunities.
- Ensure Identifying potential exhibition IPs, trade associations & PEOs / PCOs with best fit with AD value proposition.
- Lead on Initiating contact with C & E- initiators & intermediaries e.g. professional exhibition organizer (PEO), professional conference organizer (PCO), media outlets with relevant business events, to assess interest and opportunities.
- Ensure leveraging CRM database and business intelligence to influence key decision-makers to choose Abu Dhabi as host city for the identified business events.
- Provide strategic advice on evaluating and recommending Advantage Abu Dhabi grant support and ensure all supporting documents are in order for grant disbursement.
- Direct the team to organize a site inspection for RFP senders and assist with organizer’s market feasibility studies in-line with the department’s goals.
- Direct the team to coordinate with MICE officers in international markets in relationship management with MICE stakeholders by providing projects’ background and actions required
- Provide ADCEB’s M&I team on E&C’s expected output/outcome of work from MICE representatives; and provide appraisal for M&I team’s consolidation when reviewing overall performance.
- Provide MICE-specific promotional material by coordinating amongst event owners & Destination Marketing to conjointly craft materials
Reporting & Collaborations
- Ensure timely reports are issued on the performance of the activities and KPIs with corrective action taken to mitigate deviation from plans, escalate red flags and provide recommendations for improvements.
- Foster positive relationships and strong links with government and other key stakeholders, locally and overseas, working closely with them on the identification and development of business.
- Coordinate with relevant government entities to support events such as patronage, event speakers, by liaising with Ecosystem Development team and Stakeholder management team
Shared Activity
People Management
- Manage the effective achievement of assigned objectives through the leadership of the Section by setting of individual objectives, managing performance, developing and motivating staff to maximize performance.
- Lead the talent development initiatives for the assigned section, collaborating with technical/discipline experts and thereby ensure the availability of talent to fit business requirements.
- Act as a role model and drive adherence to organizational values and ethics by employees of the assigned section to foster a value driven culture within the organization.
Budgeting and Financial Planning
- Manage the preparation and recommend the section budget and monitor financial performance versus the budget while ensuring all sectional activities are conducted in line with the approved guidelines.
Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures
- Manage and ensure effective implementation of functional policies, procedures and controls covering all areas of assigned section activity so that all relevant procedural/legislative requirements are fulfilled while delivering a quality, cost-effective service.
Continuous Improvement
- Lead the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and sustainability of systems, processes and practices considering global standards, productivity improvement and cost reduction.
Reporting
- Ensure that all section reports are prepared timely and accurately and meet DCT requirements, policies and quality standards.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Tourism, Business Administration, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
- 6-10 years of experience in Tourism, MICE, Destination or any other experience within similar role or industry.
- At least 5 years of experience in a managerial position.
- Previous experience in strategic planning or equivalent is highly preferred.
- Strong knowledge in the MICE sector.
Skills
- Full professional English proficiency both in speaking and writing
- Arabic bilingual desirable but not mandatory
- Skilled in MS Office (PowerPoint, Word and Excel)
- Extensive knowledge and professional network of the international, regional and local MICE industry
- Strong in analytics and strategic thinking
- Strong in negotiation
- Excellent time management, able to balance many projects at once
- Excellent administrative skills and attention to detail
- Self-motivated with a proven ability to complete work in a timely manner
- Expert knowledge on association conventions and meetings industry, preferably good track record of securing association conventions and meetings for a destination
- Extensive experience with research and business development
- Extensive experience with CRM, stakeholders management
