The company was established by Sabah Kahoul, Hamdan Al Murshidi, and Dominic Short, who shared a common belief that the business travel industry deserved a dedicated forum focused on the unique needs and challenges of corporate travel professionals.

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Together, the founders envisioned a platform that would go beyond the traditional trade-show model. Instead of focusing solely on suppliers and products, they sought to create a buyer-led, content-driven environment where meaningful discussions could take place around the strategic issues shaping the future of business travel.

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From the outset, the founders understood that modern travel management extends far beyond booking flights and hotels. Business travel today encompasses procurement strategy, traveller wellbeing, sustainability, technology transformation, duty of care, risk management, global mobility, data analytics, and employee experience. WBTF was therefore designed as a forum where these interconnected topics could be explored by the senior leaders responsible for corporate travel and mobility programmes.

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To accelerate the Forum's growth and ensure world-class event delivery, WBTF partnered with MCI UAE, one of the region's leading professional conference and event management organisations, which serves as the Forum's strategic advisory and execution partner. This collaboration has enabled the founders to combine deep industry expertise with professional event management capabilities, creating a highly credible and rapidly growing platform.

Since its launch in 2024, WBTF has successfully delivered three major conferences, establishing itself as the leading Business Travel Management conference series in the Middle East region.

 

What began as an ambitious vision has quickly evolved into one of the most influential gatherings of corporate travel professionals in the region. Each event has brought together senior decision-makers from multinational corporations, government entities, travel management companies, technology providers, airlines, hotel groups, ground transportation providers, mobility specialists, and travel risk professionals.

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Today, WBTF regularly attracts up to 200 corporate travel buyers, travel managers, procurement leaders, mobility experts, finance executives, HR leaders, and industry specialists per event, making it one of the largest and most focused gatherings of business travel professionals in the region.

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This growth reflects the increasing demand for a dedicated platform where industry leaders can exchange ideas, benchmark programmes, discover innovation, and build meaningful business relationships.

WBTF's success stems from its commitment to being more than an annual event.

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The Forum has evolved into a year-round platform for thought leadership, professional networking, and industry education. Through executive interviews, leadership roundtables, industry newsletters, research discussions, and strategic content initiatives, WBTF continues to foster dialogue among the professionals who are shaping the future of global business travel.

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Topics regularly addressed by the Forum include:

• Corporate Travel Strategy

• Travel Procurement

• Artificial Intelligence in Travel

• Traveller Wellbeing

• Sustainability and ESG

• Duty of Care

• Risk and Crisis Management

• Mobility and Immigration

• Travel Technology

• Data and Analytics

• Supplier Relationship Management

• Business Travel Policy Development

Future Workforce Mobility Trends

Dubai's position as a global crossroads perfectly supports WBTF's ambition to become an international centre of excellence for business travel management. The Forum's leadership believes that the Middle East is uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in the future evolution of corporate travel, thanks to its world-class aviation infrastructure, strategic geographic location, and rapidly growing business ecosystem.

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As business travel spending continues to expand globally, organisations increasingly require sophisticated travel programmes that balance cost control, traveller satisfaction, sustainability objectives, risk mitigation, and technological innovation. WBTF seeks to help industry leaders navigate these challenges while providing a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The success of the World Business Travel Forum reflects the entrepreneurial vision and industry commitment of its founders, Sabah Kahoul, Hamdan Al Murshidi, and Dominic Short.

 

Together, supported by the strategic partnership with MCI UAE, they have created a platform that has quickly become recognised as the leading Business Travel Management conference in the Middle East.

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In just a few years, WBTF has grown from an idea into a respected industry institution, bringing together hundreds of corporate travel professionals and creating a community that spans buyers, suppliers, industry experts, and thought leaders.