New office in Dubai signals thriving UAE MICE industry and strong demand for Cvent’s solutions in this region

Cvent, a market leader in meetings, events and hospitality technology, today announced the opening of its first office in the Middle East. Located in the heart of Dubai, the new location will serve as a regional hub enabling the company to service current clients more quickly and address the growing demand for its event and hospitality cloud platforms in the Middle East and Africa. With more than 100 customers in the region, Cvent has established a strong client base including top brands and leading luxury hotels such as Qatar Foundation, Arabian Exhibition Management, Marriott Hotels, Shangri-La Hotel, and Atlantis-The Palm. Opening this office in Dubai showcases the region’s thriving MICE industry and highlights Cvent’s ongoing expansion and growing customer base across the globe.

“We signed our first Dubai customer nearly 8 years ago and our decision to tap into the MICE and business travel markets in the Middle East with a local office was prompted by our valued business relationships in the region and the growing demand for our solutions,” said CEO and Founder of Cvent, Reggie Aggarwal. “Our business may be technology, but our mission is to connect with people face-to-face. The addition of a physical office in the region, along with a local team, will allow us to spend more time with our customers and build closer relationships with them.”

Why Dubai

Dubai is one of the top destinations for meetings and events in the UAE and ranks second in the world for cities with the most five-star hotels. With the upcoming World Expo 2020, the region is poised for incredible growth in the tourism and hospitality sectors, offering more opportunities to attract group and corporate travel to the region. In response to increased MICE interest and RFP volume going into the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, Cvent for the first time launched a separate category for MEA in its annual list of the Top Meetings Destinations. Additionally, Dubai properties took 17 of the top 25 spots in Cvent’s inaugural Top Meeting Hotels list in Middle East & Africa, further illustrating the region’s growing impact as a leading tourism and business travel destination.

“The UAE is a true force to be reckoned with in the world of hospitality and events. We saw a 30% increase in unique RFPs to the region through our Cvent Supplier Network just last year, representing more than $100 million in potential revenue opportunity for hoteliers,” said Bharet Malhotra, Senior Vice President of Sales at Cvent. “As a market-leading event technology provider, we are proud to open our Dubai office to help facilitate the continued growth of the MICE industry and support its positive economic impact. We’re excited to expand our regional presence and continue to deliver world-class technology to elevate event experiences across the region.”

Current Cvent customer, Karin Bourgoin, Event Manager at UBM AEM (formerly Arabian Exhibition Management) described how Cvent’s event technology has impacted her events in the Middle East: “Cvent’s Event Cloud has changed the way we are able to execute our events.  It has brought reliable metrics enabling us to analyze all aspects of our events, as well as the capabilities to fully personalize a host of features allowing our attendees to benefit from a vastly improved event experience!”

Dubai-based hospitality customer Pranav Vohra, Senior Director of Sales for Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights Hotel & Residences, highlighted the impact Cvent’s Hospitality Cloud platform has made on the hotel: “Cvent’s technology has given us greater access to planners whom we previously were unable to reach through our other marketing channels. By leveraging the Cvent platform, we saw an increase in RPFs year-over-year and their comprehensive reporting tools offer the insights we need to grow our business and drive revenue. The team at Cvent has been extremely helpful throughout our partnership and are always just a phone call away!”