Ernst & Young hosted their annual Middle East Tax Conference in Dubai in March 2012. Over 400 delegates from various Middle East and international locations attended. Browns Venues and Events was contracted to provide full event management services at the 5-star Intercontinental Dubai Festival City hotel, including registration, on-site coordination, and travel logistics. The client was very satisfied with the high-quality conference experience and venue provided.

1. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y
D
Ernst & Young are the industry leaders in providing financial
management and tax auditing services. With over 50,000
employees and turnover in the billions, they operate
U
worldwide and are at the forefront of providing leading edge
solutions.
Event: Middle East Tax Conference
T Location: Dubai
Venue: Intercontinental Dubai Festival City
No. of Delegates: 400
S Date: 17th – 20th March 2012

2. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y
D Brief:
Ernst & Young host annual tax conferences in various
locations around the world. Clients of Ernst & Young are
U
invited to 3 days of presentations and 1-1 briefings on new
legislation which could affect their business.
T
The client chose Dubai as their destination for the MENA
region and asked the agency to select a venue that needed
to be 5*
S Browns Venues and Events were asked to offer full event
management services, including delegate registration, on-
site event management and travel logistics.

3. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y
D The Hotel:
Three venues were proposed to the client. The
Intercontinental has been given numerous awards and is
U
recognised as one of the worlds leading conference
destination resorts and was the most appropriate venue for
this event.
T The hotel forms part of the impressive marina complex,
featuring numerous restaurants including Jamie Olivers
S
Brasserie and is a docking port for local yachts and boats – its
is also close to the airport, which was a key request from the
client.
Browns Venues and Events worked closely with the hotel in
providing a first class conference experience.

4. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y
D Travel:
Airport transfers were arranged for the delegates and
Browns Venues and Events worked closely with Ernst &
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Youngs travel company to ensure logistical plans were drawn
up. A mixture of coaches and cars were organised and
Browns Venues and Events had a team of staff at the airport
T
to co-ordinate the transfers.
Onsite Event Management:
S
Browns Venues and Events team arrived the day before to
check through final arrangements. Our role was to co-
ordinate registration and act as liaison throughout the event,
ensuring delegates were directed to correct areas and
working with the hotel to deliver the schedule on time.

5. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y Challenges:
D As the delegates were coming from many different
countries, communication across different time lines was a
crucial factor. Countries included Egypt, UAE, USA, and
U
Germany and our service agreement means we are
responsible for replying to all requests within 60 minutes of
receipt.
T Solution / Execution:
We extended our working times in the office and drew up a
rota which allowed the designated team to cover from 5am –
S 11pm 4 weeks leading up to the event. As we often have to
adapt depending on the designation of the event, our team
of professional and flexible staff knew what they had to do
to make it work.

6. Ernst & Young Tax Conference Dubai 2012
case
Y
D
Verdict – Feedback from the client
“We have tried to run this event internally in previous years, but the
size and scale that it has grown to meant we needed professional help.
We were absolutely delighted with the whole experience, the hotel
U was perfectly located and of the highest standard and the organisation
couldn’t have gone better
T
Thank you to the team at Browns, who through every step of the way
have been a pleasure to work with and shown a real can do attitude –
hears to London in October”
S
Austin Rudman
Senior Vice President
Ernst & Young MENA Region