The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), one of the world's leading international meetings industry trade associations, has announced that it is set to host a special seminar entitled, 'The Middle East going green,' on the first day of this year's edition of the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM) March 25, 2013, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Meetings industry suppliers and association meeting planners will discuss initiatives that are aimed at reducing the environmental impact of their meetings and pose the question how important these initiatives are in the decision-making process of associations. The seminar will be open to press and will be held from 11:30 to 12:30 PM at ADNEC's 'Knowledge Hub'. 

During the seminar, ICCA members will show how they are using their sustainability programmes to market their destination to international association meeting planners. The seminar will also help participants seek answers to timely issues like clients specifically asking for sustainability programmes when considering a destination and feedback generated from clients on these programmes. The event will be moderated by Steen Jakobsen from the Wonderful Copenhagen Convention Bureau in Denmark and will be joined by a panel of meetings industry experts that includes Trevor McCartney from the Qatar National Convention Centre; Salma Ghuznavi from the Dubai Convention and Events Bureau and a representative from Abu Dhabi TBC.

ICCA is looking to expand its activities in the Middle East and has just recently opened its first regional office, which is expected to leverage the association's key expertise in the international association meetings sector--offering unrivalled data, communication channels and business development opportunities to its members here. In addition, the association has named Gamal Sadek from Al Ketbi Consultancy as the newly-appointed Dubai-based ICCA Regional Director for the Middle East.