ICA’s Dubai 2011 Event Declared ‘a Great Success’
March 31, 2011 
The International Cotton Association (ICA) knew it was making the right decision when, based on feedback from attendees at the 2010 event in Singapore, it chose Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the host city for its 2011 conference and networking event, which was held March 15-16.
Any doubts about the wisdom of that decision were erased when a delegation of 600 cotton and textile professionals from 34 countries arrived in Dubai to hear presentations from the lineup of expert speakers, network with old and new business partners, and catch up with long-time acquaintances.
The event–the first cotton conference of its kind to be held in Dubai–took place at the Ritz Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre under the patronage of His Highness, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Sponsored by some of the biggest names in cotton, the theme of the two-day event was “Open to the World.” Its aim was to provide a new opportunity and a new location for the global cotton community to come together to network, to do business and to debate the important issues affecting the industry.
“We knew Dubai would be a popular location to stage the event, and it was,” said ICA President Ray Butler. “It is a global business hub and easily accessible, especially to the Asian market. We recognize that Asia is the focal point of the raw cotton trade, and staging the event here has attracted wide participation from Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and beyond. The event definitely lived up to its name, ‘Open to the World,’ and initial feedback from delegates has been extremely positive.”
For many delegates, the true value in attending Dubai 2011 was the chance to network and develop new trade opportunities, as well as hear about the cotton market from industry experts.
“This event took place at the right time and in the right location,” said Christian Schindler, director general of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation.
“The setting was great and the organization was outstanding … a great success for the ICA,” added Jean Marc Derossis, UK managing director and trader at Plexus Cotton.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC) and one of the event sponsors, provided the key note address. In his speech, he explained how Dubai has developed to be one of the leading gateways for international commodity markets.
After the event, he said that “ICA Dubai 2011 was a great success and we were delighted to have had the opportunity to showcase Dubai to the many distinguished delegates.”
Over the course of the two days, 10 high-profile industry speakers took to the stage to deliver a range of presentations focusing on some of the key issues affecting today’s cotton industry, from price volatility and the global trading market to new initiatives in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China. There were also plenty of opportunities for delegates to network at a cocktail reception and gala dinner.
ICA’s next event will be its annual International Trade Dinner, which is taking place in Liverpool, England on October 21-22, 2011. For more information, visit ICA’s Web page.
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