Jumeirah Group Elaborates On Top Properties, MICE Outlook, and Importance of the Indian Market

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | October 23, 2018 | Interview

Jumeirah Group

Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts has been one of the leading luxury hospitality groups spread globally over the past two decades. With a presence of over 22 properties in eight countries, the brand is the leader in luxury hospitality. The brand owns some of the most iconic properties which have witnessed high footfall and appreciation. In an exclusive with EVENTFAQS, Andy Cuthbert, General Manager of Jumeirah Creekside, Conference & Events at Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Hospitality outlines what are some of the top properties of the brand, the MICE outlook moving ahead, and the importance of the Indian market for the brand.

Jumeirah has the perception of Super Luxury properties alone. Comment briefly on the extensive range of Hotels within the group?

Jumeirah Group, the global luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, operates and manages a world-class portfolio of 15 properties in the Middle East including the flagship Burj Al Arab, 5 properties in Europe and 2 in Asia with 18 properties currently under construction around the globe in Indonesia, China, Oman, Jordan, Malaysia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

What are the Top Jumeirah Properties for MICE / Weddings?

Madinat Jumeirah is home to one of the city’s most innovative and exclusive outdoor venues, Fort Island. The new event space, set over 1,750sqm, was completed in October 2015. A popular venue for weddings, this versatile space can accommodate up to 1,400 guests. Connected to the resort by four bridges, guests can access the venue by foot or by traditional wooden abra boats. Event planners can now use a new virtual online tool to book the versatile wedding venues at Madinat Jumeirah including Magnolia, Madinat Arena and the ballrooms within Jumeirah Mina A’Salam. 

What is the importance of the Indian market for Events to Jumeirah Hotels? How has this grown in the last 2-3 years?

India is the number one source market for Dubai and its MICE share has an extremely high importance for the city due to the large impact it has on revenue generation across different channels including rooms and food and beverage. Over the last few years, for Jumeirah Group, the revenue from MICE groups visiting from India has grown by 300% year on year. This is due to the consistent presence of Jumeirah Group in the India Market, strategic sales activities focused on MICE and the wedding business.

What are the group's efforts to work with and partner Indian Event planners? 

Over the last 12 months, Jumeirah’s sales teams have consistently participated in several MICE and wedding events in India, penetrating the market in these specific segments with the aim to continue the significant growth for the group. Initiatives that the team has taken include participating in the WOW awards, collaborating with online wedding platforms, and continued business trips to Mumbai and India.