With its sights set on hosting international events, Jonathan Hart discovers what the Gulf state has to offer.
Qatar is punching well above its weight as a global events destination. Having beaten larger, more established rivals to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the tiny Gulf state has also been bidding for both the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
Grandiose ambitions, you might think, for a novice that staged its first big sporting event only five years ago (the Asian Games), and five years before that was barely a blip on the international meetings radar. If so, you’re reckoning without reserves of self-determination that are as abundant as Qatar’s oil and natural gas.
Emerging from its traditionally introspective shell, this independently minded, cash-rich state appears intent on bucking the odds against its minuscule size (11,400 sq km), hothouse desert climate and comparative inexperience to become a front-ranking contender for global meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).
That’s not just for major sporting events with air-conditioned outdoor stadiums, but also for key world gatherings ranging from finance, industry and healthcare to higher academia and green sciences. In addition, Qatar is keen to be viewed as a platform and impartial facilitator for geopolitical discussions and peacekeeping.
“Today’s meeting planners and buyers are seeking safe and stable destinations, and Qatar fits the bill,” says Trevor McCartney, director of business development for the new Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), which was set to open in December with the 20th World Petroleum Congress as its launch event. “Despite the global financial crisis, Qatar has managed to maintain its economic growth, and its consistent high ranking in the Global Peace Index shows it is one of the safest countries in the world.”
Since becoming the first Arab state to host a World Trade Organisation summit in 2001 and building stadiums from scratch for the 2006 Asian Games, this formerly remote and modest state of 1.6 million people has been on a mission to make its mark on the events world, with sustainability at its core. Buoyed by continued foreign investment in a burgeoning energy sector, the world’s wealthiest and fastest-growing nation per capita, according to current indicators, is pursuing a build-to-fit path that also embraces the worthy or philanthropic alongside the practical and prudent.
Progress on its estimated US$185 billion investment in new infrastructure may have been subject to some delays owing to the knock-on effects of recession elsewhere, but few capital projects have been cancelled.
In any case, through a combination of international outreach and regional educational programmes, Qatar is currently seeking global recognition and influence as much as immediate returns on investment.
The QNCC reflects this. Located in Doha’s purpose-built Education City, surrounded by universities, research and technology institutions, it is partnered with the Qatar Foundation, a patron for funding and research programmes. McCartney says the centre, with 57 rooms for meetings of ten people upwards, is on the doorstep of some 50 multinational companies that have their Middle East bases here. Alongside 40,000 sqm of exhibition or conference space for up to 10,000 people, it includes a multi-purpose convention hall for 4,200 delegates, a 2,500-capacity auditorium and a 500-seat theatre.
Coupled with extensive new urban, residential and transportation projects, Qatar’s MICE development is closely allied to improved international access, chiefly through the now 100-plus global routes, including more than 40 weekly frequencies from the UK, of national carrier Qatar Airways.
In tandem with this, the first few months of 2012 will witness completion of the first phase of New Doha International airport. This will be capable of handling 50 million passengers annually by 2015, and only a small percentage of these will be required to sustain the new meetings infrastructure, according to Ahmed Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).
He says up to 20 new four- or five-star hotels with their own dedicated function rooms are currently coming on stream or are in the late development stage, adding to an overall room stock that will have trebled to an estimated 30,000 by 2013-14.
In addition to the QNCC and the existing three-year-old Doha Exhibitions Centre (DEC), a third purpose-built convention centre is scheduled to open later in 2012, Al Nuaimi says. The Doha Convention Centre and Tower is set to top already comprehensive skyscraper construction at the new City Centre peninsula end of the Corniche, hugging Doha Bay.
Adjacent to the convention centre, with 45,000 sqm of divisible space, will be a landmark 105-storey tower incorporating offices and apartments on a wider footprint also including multi-purpose hotel and meeting space.
Top-ranking newcomer brands in the city centre include the 272-room, 42-apartment Shangri-La, which is scheduled to open in October 2012, and the 160-room, 95-apartment Mandarin Oriental, due to open in 2014 as the centrepiece of the new Musheireb heritage development around the traditional-style Souq Waqif market.
Marriott has just opened a three-hotel complex in the city centre, opposite Qatar Financial Centre. “It reinforces Doha’s futuristic vision and surging potential,” says Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging at Marriott International.
Current stalwarts with dedicated meeting space in Doha include the pyramid-shaped Sheraton Resort and Convention Centre in the same area, the Marriott Doha and Movenpick in the airport/Old Town district, the Intercontinental by the DEC in central West Bay, plus the Grand Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton at West Bay Lagoon, on the fringes of the huge new Pearl-Qatar island and Lusail City developments.
Elsewhere, the Al Sultan beach resort at Al Khor, north of Doha, is the primary hotel with conference rooms. Planned developments at Al Khor include two additional properties with dedicated event space.
Helping to co-ordinate and bolster future meetings business is the Qatar MICE Development Institute. A spokesperson says the institute is mandated by the government to drive the sector through the overseas promotion of large-scale events.
Ancillary to the meetings trade is Qatar’s ambition to encourage select, upscale tourists who dress modestly and respect the state’s strictly imposed Islamic principles. For tourists, as for meetings organisers, it can also prove pricey compared with elsewhere in the region. While upscale meetings or incentives take priority and can be arranged during cooler winter months, when average daytime temperatures drop to 34°C, QTA officials repeatedly make it plain that they neither want nor need to compete for cheap summer custom.
? Visit qmdi.com, qatartourism.gov/qa
Hotels
Marriott City Centre
This contemporary property, which comprises twin 48-storey towers, is located opposite the Qatar Financial Centre. The newly opened complex houses three Marriott brands – the 257-room Renaissance, the 204-room Courtyard and 123 Executive Apartments. Spread across 19, 12 and 21 floors respectively, the properties share nine restaurants and bars, a health club and spa, plus 1,200 sqm of meeting space incorporating 17 rooms, the largest of which seats 805 delegates.
? Al Wahda Street; tel +974 4419 5000; marriott.com
St Regis
Opening close to the Doha Exhibition Centre in early 2012, the St Regis has two 14-storey towers with Arabic domes, opulent interiors and butler service for 336 guestrooms and suites. Second-floor rooms have open terraces, and there are eight function spaces accommodating between 14 and 1,500 delegates.
? Lusail Street; tel +974 4498 0586; starwoodhotels.com
W Doha hotel and Residences
Located in the City Centre/West Bay area and blending cutting-edge décor with traditional regional designs, the stylised W has 445 guestrooms, including 32 suites, 260 large “Marvellous”, “Fabulous” and “Spectacular” rooms, plus 154 studios and one- or two-bedroom apartments. It has four restaurants and three lounges, as well as 1,000 sqm of meeting space incorporating four function rooms, the largest of which accommodates up to 500 delegates.
? West Bay; tel +974 4453 5000; whotels.com/doha
Millennium
This modern hotel has 226 guestrooms, 24 suites, executive floors, a business centre, three restaurants and nine function rooms – the largest can hold 350 delegates theatre-style. It’s located in the Al Sadd business district, close to a sports club and Centre Point shopping mall.
? Jawaan Street; tel +974 4424 7777; millenniumhotels.com
Movenpick Tower and Suites
Situated in the diplomatic district fringing City Centre/West Bay, this is the newer sister property to Movenpick’s hotel in the Old Town/airport area. A divisible ballroom for up to 140 guests plus three additional function rooms occupy the second floor of the 26-storey tower. It has 350 guestrooms and suites, three restaurants and a health club.
? The Corniche; tel +974 4496 6600; moevenpick-doha-tower.com
Four Seasons
This imposing neoclassical hotel with Arabic towers has 232 rooms, 57 of which are suites. It has extensive restaurant, spa and recreational facilities, plus indoor and outdoor function space for up to 500 and 700 delegates respectively. It’s in the diplomatic district, on the Corniche, West Bay.
? The Corniche; tel +974 4494 8888; fourseasons.com/doha
Ritz-Carlton
Located alongside West Bay Lagoon, this top-ranking business hotel has 374 guestrooms and extensive indoor and outdoor meeting space. This includes two ballrooms, the largest with a capacity of up to 1,200 delegates, six additional function rooms and a video-conferencing suite. Spot the famous sporting faces in the five main restaurants, around the pool or in the spa.
? Lusail Street; tel +974 4484 8000; ritzcarlton.com
Sharq Village and Spa
Close to the airport, overlooking Doha port and marina, this retreat is designed around courtyards and shaded walkways like a traditional desert village. It has 174 guestrooms and suites, plus a Royal Villa sleeping up to 16 people. There are three restaurants and a Six Senses spa. Meeting facilities include a boardroom, grand reception foyer and two ballrooms, the largest hosting up to 320 people theatre-style or 350 for receptions.
? Ras Abu Abboud Street; tel +974 4425 6666; sharqvillage.com
After the meeting
Virtually surrounded by the Arabian Sea, Qatar makes the most of its marine life, offering incentive parties or small groups everything from sailing and deep sea fishing to dhow or speedboat rides for picnics on deserted outlying islands (see qataradventure.com). Scuba divers will find the underwater wrecks are scrap motor vehicles instead of ships – still, in the absence of the real thing, they make ideal artificial reefs (qatardivers.com).
The towering sand dunes surrounding the Inland Sea provide arguably the most enthralling and atmospheric dune bashing, desert camps and safaris in the region. Visiting the camel race track, Oryx farm and Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre (alshaqab.com) are also thoroughbred experiences compared with standard Gulf offerings.
Alongside promenading on the Corniche or taking a sunset dhow cruise to view the skyline, Doha offers a range of cultural attractions, from the traditional Souq Waqif to a growing number of new-build museums, including the matchless Museum of Islamic Art (mia.org.qa).
Drinking and nightlife is confined to hotels. Popular hangouts for the expat crowd include the “old” Marriott and Intercontinental. To mingle with local movers and shakers, book a round at the championship Doha Golf Club (dohagolfclub.com) or wangle a personal invitation to the Diplomatic Club (thediplomaticclub.com).
