Busy delegates at Dubai World Trade Center.
Dubai won a record 349 bids to host international conferences,
congresses, meetings, and incentive travel programmes in 2023. Driven by
Dubai Business Events (DBE), the city’s official convention bureau, the
wins reflected a robust 49% increase in successful bids compared to
2022. These events captured in 2023 are set to attract over 191,000
international delegates.
One of its latest wins is the bid to host the 21st World Congress of
Medical Informatics – MedInfo – in 2027. It is the flagship biennial
meeting of the International Medical Informatics Association.
Dubai is the first city in the Middle East, North Africa region to
welcome the event. The winning bid was led by the Emirates Health
Informatics Society and supported by the Department of Economy and
Tourism (DET), Dubai Health Authority (DHA), UAE Ministry of Health and
Prevention and Emirates Health Services, alongside other key
stakeholders.
The successful bid for MedInfo 2027 was underpinned by Dubai's focus
on innovation, digital preparedness and sustainability in the healthcare
space. As the preeminent gathering of the global biomedical and health
informatics community, the biennial MedInfo focuses on the scientific
exchange of current research and thinking, offering an opportunity for
formal meetings and informal networking of IMIA’s global membership.
The 2027 edition is expected to provide IMIA with improved reach into
new markets and to enhance MedInfo's appeal to first-time attendees.
Helal Saeed Almarri, director-general of Dubai’s Department of
Economy and Tourism, said, “Dubai’s success in bidding for MedInfo 2027
underlines the confidence that international associations across all
sectors, including healthcare, have in bringing their major congresses
to Dubai, and the powerful platform our city provides for knowledge
sharing, professional development, and networking.
“It also reflects the culture of collaboration in Dubai and the
ability of entities across the public and private sectors to come
together to showcase the city’s strengths as a meeting destination.
Driven by the emirate’s visionary leadership and our commitment to
achieve the goals set out in the D33 Economic Agenda, Dubai continues to
consolidate its status as a global hub for trade, enterprise and
innovation in addition to attracting talent and investment.”