The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s committee on exhibitions and conferences demanded exemptions from government fees, such as rents and tax, in addition to discounts of nearly 75 per cent from Oman Convention and Exhibition Center when activities resume.
The Exhibitions and Conferences Committee of OCCI held its first meeting for 2021 presided over by Faisal al Shanfari, vice chairman of the committee in the presence of Redha Juma al Saleh, chairman, OCCI.
The meeting discussed the issue of financial compensation and the members of the committee urged Oman Development Bank to finance mitigate the Covid-19 impact faced by exhibition and conference companies.
The committee suggested that the exhibitions sector should be included in ODB Bank and Raffd Fund for loans to small and medium enterprises to help these companies to obtain compensation, in addition to financing loans guaranteed by the commercial registry to pay off the debts.
According to Global Data, meetings, incentives, conferencing, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism bore the brunt of pandemic and it could be one of the last to fully return to normalcy as international travel curbs are in place.
MICE events are now taking place online, without the need for companies operating in the tourism sector. This is a worrying trend for all industries involved in travel and tourism, While others sectors resume normal operations, more companies event organizers may start to become accustomed to hosting events online, the report said.
Companies in all sectors will be looking for ways to reduce costs in the coming years as they reel from the economic impact created by Covid-19. Many feel hosting offline events expensive compared to cheaper options of video conferencing software such as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
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