Department of Economic Development, DED, in Dubai partnered with the International Live Events Association (ILEA) Middle East to strengthen the business community engagements in the emirate.

The department signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the ILEA Middle East to develop projects that would enhance relations with the private sector as part of the Business Community Engagement (BCE) initiative, launched by DED last year.

The MoU will help involve business community groups to support the growth of strategic economic sectors, in line with the DED mandate. The main objective of the BCE initiative is to add value to the emirate’s economy by activating more public-private partnerships to bring in investments and promote sustainable economic development.

As part of the BCE initiative, DED will, over the next three years, launch initiatives to seek feedback and ideas from the business community on the current and future economic policy/initiatives, share information on trends and opportunities, and collaborate with key private stakeholders in areas of mutual interest to add/create value for the economy.

Mohammed Shael Al Saadi, CEO of Corporate Strategy Sector at DED, said that the MoU would bring significant advantages to the live events industry that defines Dubai as the global capital for all types of events.

"DED will work with ILEA Middle East to launch initiatives that will enhance the growth of the industry. This includes organising round tables on improving the business regulatory environment for live events, launching studies to determine the state and size of the industry and its contribution to Dubai economy, and coming up with suggestions on how to improve the industry as a whole," Al Saadi said.

"DED will also engage with the ILEA to identify obstacles and challenges the industry faces and provide recommendations, which will be translated in productive initiatives by the authorities concerned," he added.

"The MoU serves as a catalyst to a better channel of communication to discuss industry challenges and aspirations between the ILEA members and the DED. We are pleased with what we have achieved so far, and with the continued collaboration, shared responsibility and commitment from the DED, we are hopeful that we will continue in the same progressive vein as we have this past year," said Lee Charteris, President of ILEA Middle East Chapter.