Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority

Keys to the success of Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority (BECA) since its establishment:

Commitment to building a culture that places our customers at the heart of everything it does, i.e., customers’ needs and aspirations genuinely form the basis for the design and delivery of BECA’s services, thereby providing exceptional value to customers.

Challenges the expectations of people who may have preconceptions about Bahrain by doing everything possible to ensure the country is at the top of the list when it comes to organisations choosing their destinations.

Partnerships with industry stakeholders, internally and externally.

Diversification of its portfolio

BECA was established by Law No. 62 for the year 2006 which was promulgated on 4th September 2006. It functions under the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Kingdom of Bahrain and is governed by a Board of Directors. The current Chairman of the BECA Board is His Excellency Dr. Hassan A. Fakhro, the Minister of Industry & Commerce.

How BECA contributes to the overall economic development of the Kingdom of Bahrain:
Bahrain’s Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions (MICE) sector is aggressively investigating opportunities which enables it to contribute to the National Economy. BECA has embarked on initiatives with the objective of establishing Bahrain on the international arena, as a unique and key MICE destination in line with the Government of Bahrain’s 2009 to 2014 National Economic Strategy of becoming a regional and global destination for MICE.

BECA’s core business and service offerings and the scope of BECA’s local market development activities
BECA is the forerunner organisation with a mandate to market Bahrain as a preferred, all year-round, business destination and cultivate partnerships with key MICE industry stakeholders by pursuing market development work in the international business sector. Its MICE, Destination Marketing & PR Department seeks to achieve this mandate by nurturing a healthy business environment for the exhibition, convention, meetings and incentive travel community in partnership with the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre (BIECC), the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), Gulf Air, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Tourism Affairs and the hospitality and leisure tourism industry.

In addition, BECA is the owner and organiser for the annual Food & Hospitality Expo (www. foodexpbh.com) which was held for the 2nd annual time on the 12- 14th January 2010, and doubled in size in both participants and visitors. In addition it is planning a new Sport, Leisure and well being expo in 2011.

BECA is also the venue operator for the (BIECC), the country’s largest and most flexible trade show and convention facility with more than 16,000 square meters of interconnected meeting and exhibition space.

The competitive landscape of the industry and BECA’s competitive strengths

Competitive landscape of the industry

Global exhibition/conventions market is high growth and lucrative for city and state economies, but intensely competitive and demanding of state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities. All industry eyes are on the Middle East now as a series of exhibition venue development are occurring particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council.

BECA’s competitive strengths

• Strong support from the Bahrain Government
• Value for money
• Flexibility
• Diversified portfolio
• Improved customer communication and service efforts

How BECA attracts and serves its partners/customers
BECA considers its harmonised alliances with industry stakeholders such as Tourism Affairs, Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB), Gulf Air, Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry and others from the leisure and hospitality sectors very valuable in attracting conference business to Bahrain.

Building a destination as a brand entails the synergistic and collegial efforts of all MICE stakeholders - it is all about relationships. In order to attract conference business in these challenging times, we have embarked on a series of initiatives to play up the unique experiences being offered by Bahrain.

Team Bahrain
One of these is Team Bahrain which was launched earlier this year in support of the Bahrain Government’s efforts to improve the destination’s supporting infrastructure for its MICE industry. Team Bahrain is the working group of Bahrain’s MICE sector currently comprised of more than 40 representatives from the public and private sectors. Formed to gain buy-in from Bahrain’s business and leisure tourism industry stakeholders, Team Bahrain serves as a forum for our community of suppliers to acquire industry knowledge and assists them in ensuring that the delivery of their service, product and facility to international MICE buyers and planners remain consistent to world-class standards.

Partnership with Gulf Air as BECA’s Official Carrier

In 2009, BECA and Gulf Air entered into a strategic alliance aimed at boosting Bahrain’s position as a leading destination for corporate meetings, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions. Following the signing of the agreement between Bahrain’s national carrier and its MICE Authority (BECA), Gulf Air became the official carrier for all events organised by BECA in Bahrain and abroad.

Renewal of Alliance with Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI)

BECA and BCCI renewed in 2009 their partnership to increase trade and investment linkages and optimise economic opportunities in the realm of the MICE sector.

Encouraging partnerships with local and international organisations for its exhibitions

Organisations are recognising the value of face-to-face interaction in driving business.

BECA’s events serve as a strategic platform for businesses wishing to access a market of more than 274 million people in the Northern Gulf. For instance, BECA signed partnership agreements with public and private sector organisations for its second Food & Hospitality Expo,2010, where TUV Middle East (Member of TUV NORD Group), a German Inspection, Certification and Training Body, conducted workshops to help people understand the necessary requirements to comply with the International Food Safety Management System Standard during the three-day premier, international food and hospitality event. Basic Food Hygiene, Basic Health and Safety for Catering Industry, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point are some of the topics that were discussed at the workshops aiming to raise safety standards and preserve consumer confidence in the products of the food industry in Bahrain.

How BECA develops significant international relations

Developing global partnerships with Professional Exhibition Organisers (PEOs), Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs) and Industry Associations is among the initiatives of BECA aimed at bringing new MICE business to Bahrain.

It develops significant international relations through its memberships in Industry Associations. BECA is a member of several key MICE industry associations including the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Singapore based Asian Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations (AFECA), Brussels based International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC), Paris headquartered Union des Foires Internationales (UFI), Amsterdambased International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Dallas-based Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Chicago headquartered Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE) and Hertfordshire-based Association of Event Venues Limited (AEV). BECA’s memberships in these associations allow the Authority to build a strong community of peers, connect with industry experts and access a vast array of on-line and print resources to build on industry know-how.

BECA also participates in key B2B, international events dedicated to the MICE industry such as IMEX in Frankfurt and EIBTM in Barcelona.

BECA’s current activities and foreseeable potential business or opportunities in/from the Japanese/ Asian/ International markets
BECA coordinates Bahrain’s international B2B show, Aluminium China, which is held annually.

BECA’s events are also populated by Asian exhibitors wishing to penetrate the lucrative Gulf market.

Future expansion plans and growth strategies of BECA
With support of the Kingdoms leadership, Expo City a new flagship facility for Bahrain is being developed which will increase the area covered by the existing Centre by nearly ten-fold. Scheduled to be fully operational by 2013, Expo City (expo@bahrain) will be built adjacent to Bahrain International Circuit (The Home of Formula One in the Middle East), northeast of the capital Manama. It will have the capacity to hold national, regional and international events simultaneously. The state-of-the-art exhibition and convention facilities will have three, four and five star hotels with a combined capacity of 1,200 rooms, as well as a multipurpose indoor arena, dining, leisure and entertainment services. It will include hotels in the three-, four- and five-star category for a combined capacity of 1,200 rooms.

BECA’s goals and vision for the company in the short term as well as in the long term

BECA’s General Objectives
• To promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as the regional exhibition and conference hub
• To contribute to attracting international exhibitions and conferences, particularly specialised events
• To contribute to developing the proactive infrastructure efficiency

• To allocate BIECC to host specialised exhibitions and conferences and limit hosting of public exhibitions
• To develop a marketing strategy that includes local, regional and international conferences, including meetings, cultural events and various recreational, entertainment and sports events.
• To promote continuous cooperation with the Bahrain’s hotel and tourism sector in marketing international exhibitions and conferences
• To develop the exhibition industry through co-operating with various countries

• To support and encourage local traders in organizing and participating in local and international exhibitions and conferences through coordination with the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry

BECA will continue promoting Bahrain as the regional exhibition and conference hub and contribute to attracting international exhibitions and conferences, particularly specialised events, to our destination.