More than 2,000 meetings, 70 luxury hotels and destination specialists, 75 agencies and corporate planners from all over the UK, EMEA, North America and LATAM.

inVOYAGE created the first incentive and events showcase ever seen in Qatar. And what an event it was – especially coming right on the eve of one of the globe’s greatest sporting fixtures, the FIFA World Cup.

“The level and calibre of the inVOYAGE community means that we have a powerful platform to shine a spotlight on destinations for luxury incentives and events at the same time as providing a hub for some of the world’s most inspiring luxury brands to come together with leading international events creators,” says Richard Joslin, CEO inVOYAGE. “And Qatar did not disappoint. The support from our in-destination partners and calibre of venues and hospitality were superb.”

For some time, and due to the increasingly global connectivity of its national carrier Qatar Airways, the country has been seen as a major transfer hub. This has led to the development of an incredibly strong and international financial district in Doha with a vast plethora of blue-chip companies from all over the world.  And this is of particular importance when corporate clients are considering the locations for their events, as it often helps when the client has an established footprint in a destination.

More recently we’ve seen Qatar become a destination in its own right, with luxury hospitality brands such as Four Seasons, St Regis, Park Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, Kempinski, Fairmont and Raffles all supplying an increasing demand. In fact, the city has approximately doubled its hotel room capacity since before the pandemic.

So we were delighted to see inVOYAGE in Qatar welcoming agency and corporate planners alongside luxury hotels and destination specialists coming from the UK, EU, USA and LATAM.  And our host hotel, the Marsa Malaz Kempinski, situated on its own private island on the Pearl in Doha, provided the perfect hub for the event as a luxury incentive gem.

Events agencies and corporates are handpicked for their interest in the region and track record in placing groups into luxury hotels. So, the programme comprised a series of preference-based one-to-one meetings, networking experiences and insights into Qatar’s heritage and its FIFA World Cup journey.

Guests enjoyed private tours around one of the new FIFA stadiums and the incredible Qatar National Museum, as well as rooftop receptions at Nobu on Doha’s waterfront and Kempinski’s Secret Garden. There was also a c-level panel discussion moderated by Philip Dickinson of Qatar Tourism, and featuring Sheikh Ahmed Hamed Al Thani of Katara Hospitality, Berthold Trenkel of Qatar Tourism, Matt Raos of Qatar Airways, and former top-flight footballer Tim Cahill who heads up Qatar’s Aspire Academy for sports development.

There was such a buzz about the whole event, with a fabulous mix of spectacular new offerings and traditional cultural experiences – with more in the pipeline. Given the huge rise in the number of hotel rooms and luxury developments being built to meet increasing visitor demand, you might be forgiven for thinking you’d be stepping out of the airport to a sea of cranes and building sites. But, while there is clearly a lot happening, perhaps what impresses most about this intriguing and unique country, is the sense of openness resulting from low-rise builds and cultural consideration – a fascinating reflection on Qatar’s distinctive and ongoing transformation.

We couldn’t have wished for a better, more successful debut in the country and we’re looking forward to seeing the rise of luxury incentives and events into Qatar.