IAAPA has revealed that Ahmed Zakaria has been selected as the Director of Operations for the Middle East to coincide with creating a local office in Dubai.

Ahmed arrives with more than 20 years of experience in the exhibitions and event management industry across the MENA region. Prior to joining IAAPA, Ahmed was the General Manager for MICE World, a Dubai-based exhibitions and conferences company specialized in events for the public sector and semi-governmental entities.

IAAPA stated that Zakaria ‘will play a key role within the IAAPA EMEA team, focusing on consolidating and developing our membership reach in the Middle East region.’ 

IAAPA aim to expand its services to members and industry connections in the Middle East thanks to the addition of Zakaria, which in turn will provide an efficient way to expand IAAPA trade events in the future.

“I am excited to have Ahmed join the IAAPA team and look forward to exploring new opportunities in the Middle East by having a local office available to interact with members and industry partners.,” said IAAPA EMEA Executive Director and Vice President Peter van der Schans. 

“Our education and trade events have grown significantly in recent years, and this is evident as we close the 2024 Middle East Trade Summit in Abu Dhabi with 45 exhibitors and 400 attendees.”

Image: IAAPA