DUBAI READY FOR MORE
Ahead of the Dubai International Boat Show, Yacht Style interviewed Trixie LohMirmand,who organises the event in her role as Dubai World Trade Centre’s Executive Vice President – Events Management.
Trixie, how did a Singaporean lady come to work as an organiser of the Dubai International Boat Show? Dubai was looking for someone who had deep experience in large-scale events delivering significant economic impact, and who could drive change,
rebuild teams and co-create strategies. I had been managing one of the world’s biggest aviation events serving the government and private sectors, so this positioned me suitably for this opportunity.
How did last year’s edition compare to others since you’ve been working on the show?
It was an incredible feeling for the Dubai International Boat Show,after almost three decades, to finally be held in a world-class yachting marina, Dubai Harbour, befitting one of the globe’s most
influential leisure boating events. We now can scale up and offer more quality hospitality services to welcome our clients and guests for an increasingly experiential time at the event.
What is it like working with Dubai Harbour?
From accessibility, infrastructure, operations and logistics to the flexibility of Dubai Harbour’s supportive team and management,organisation of the last edition was one of the smoothest we’ve had. Dubai Harbour is located at the heart of the precinct gazetted as the international tourism and leisure hub in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. This makes it a most attractive and strategically unifying destination for the Dubai International Boat Show, which is a major
contributor to leisure marine tourism.Hosting a big-scale, international boat show can be disruptive to a working marina’s daily operations, but the cooperation was impeccable
between us and the Dubai Harbour team. With the support of all the government authorities, it produced one of the most memorable editions of the event.
What can visitors expect at the 29th edition of the show from March 1-5, 2023?
We continue to build on the momentum generated at Dubai Harbour with a focus on congregating global boating professionals and stakeholders to explore innovative
opportunities in positive ecological actions
Do you see a growth in international interest in the Middle East yachting market?
The attractive calendar of
experiential events and festivities in Dubai has created tremendous tourism appeal, enhancing yacht visits here. The attractive climate nine months of the year and
the high liveability index of Dubai has drawn new residents and tourists into the sector. Luxury yachting is spearheading the sector’s growth in the region and Dubai continues to rank first for HNWI (high-net-worth individual) wealth. Recent immigration-policy changes in the region
put us ahead of the curve in the global competition for talent and investment, which helps accelerate expansion of the Middle East yachting market.
Looking ahead, how do you see links developing between Asia and the Middle East?
There are indications of increased movement of yachts between two of the world’s most interesting emerging hubs. With Asia now emerging from pandemic restrictions and the urgency to normalise business and lifestyle behaviours against increasingly yachting-friendly regulations,
the rise in marine activities and collaboration is only expected to grow. The question is how much and how fast.
This edited interview from GAEL BURLOT with photos by GULF CRAFT / DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW is republished by kind permission of
For more information go to www.boatshowdubai.com