Tourism & Hospitality | Friday 3 April, 2015 3:02 pm |

QnA International, Dubai based organizer in collaboration with Mauritius Tourism and Promotion Authority (MTPA) to host top wedding planners from over 50 countries in Mauritius

Destination Weddings have gained popularity in recent years and is a booming multibillion-dollar industry. Today it is on an exponential escalation spree with no signs of stopping, proving music to the ears of luxury venues, DMCs, tourism boards and premium suppliers for luxury weddings worldwide. As a result of this ascend in the industry, various trends and unconventional techniques in the wedding planning industry have emerged.
Destination Wedding Planners Congress (DWP Congress), organized by QNA International, is the one and only premier business platform for the elite wedding professionals from every corner of the globe. In its second edition, From Mr David Beahm from USA, the wedding planner behind Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas wedding to Russia’s top wedding planner, Daria Bikbaeva and From the queen of destination weddings in South Africa, Sophie Ndaba to UAE’s biggest royalty and celebrity wedding planner,Ali Bakhtiar, this powerful congress is bringing together Top 100 wedding planners from over 50 countries and some of the finest wedding suppliers internationally, at one platform.
Emirates Airlines is supporting the congress as the official airline partner providing these top wedding planners and the connoisseurs of wedding fraternity connectivity to Mauritius from around the world guaranteeing the most luxurious travel experience on the world’s preferred airline.
Taking place at the pearl of the Indian Ocean, Official Host Sponsor of DWP Congress, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA)’s Director, Dr Karl Mootoosamy says, “Mauritius has for long been known as a perfect destination for honeymoon and family, given our long history in tourism and our professionalism and capacity for organization of events, the destination wedding segment is a new challenge for Mauritius. The island offers a large choice of accommodation, with a strong emphasis on luxury properties and a wide range of luxury hotel brands and boutique offerings with attention to detail in service delivery. The richness of experiences and advice shared by the top wedding planners will definitely help Mauritius to fine-tune its wedding segment approach.”
The economic downturn in the recent past saw an astonishing increase in the number of destination weddings. Dhanji Dedhia, Global Business Leader, Weddings, Swarovski Professional echoes the sentiments when he says, “The wedding events industry which continues to defy macro-economic turbulence, is a strong business area focus going forward for us. We observe an increasing wallet spend on weddings across markets but also a growing trend of securing extreme value payback for their investment, from this highly engaged, demanding & emotionally driven consumer.”
With an unparalleled concept that brings the Global connoisseurs of Wedding Planning viz. the who’s who from across the globe to procure services from International Luxury Suppliers, the Congress has drawn the attention and support of the best global wedding partners in luxury wedding destinations and venues, premium partners such as photographers, jewelers, florists, caterers, wedding décor, couture designers, furniture rentals, wine and Spirits etc and is bringing them to one platform at Mauritius this year.
“There is a need in the market and a thirst for exploring new destinations in the wedding market. To bridge this gap, and in line with the high-caliber summits that QNA International organizes, we launched this unique concept, which has received an overwhelming response. Though the USP of the congress remains the unmatched one on one meetings with the luxury providers globally, the Congress also provides the perfect platform for expanding horizons, discovering new destinations, generating creative ideas for planning and execution of weddings and most importantly establishing contacts with key wedding providers from around the globe”, says Ackash Jain, Director, QnA International, the Dubai based organiser of this only platform in the world.
Talking about future trends, Christina Holt, the top wedding planner from South Africa shares “Destination weddings are set to rise! The world has become extremely accessible and international wedding & design trends are rippling across the globe. Bespoke planning is the future of wedding planning – moving away from package offerings.” Adding to the sentiments, Tamer El Mogy and Emma Pope, Director of Lifestyle Events, The Address Hotels & Resorts believes that, “we can expect social media to have an increasing influence in driving the growth of destination wedding. We can look forward to greater cooperation between hotels and wedding planners in creating bespoke packages that will meet the individual preferences of couples.” With the objective of creating closer ties and bringing the world of wedding planning and tourism industry, the congress is all set to host some of the biggest names internationally.
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) is the host sponsor for the Congress. The congress features some of the most powerful names amongst wedding suppliers in Luxury Wedding destinations and Venues, like Rome Cavalieri, Four Seasons Hotel George V, Mexico Tourism Board, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Tintswalo Lodges, Monte - Carlo SBM Resort, One and Only Resorts, Barcelona Turisme, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Sun International, Chateau Rweiss, Reunion Island Tourism Board, Grand Resort Lagonissi, Triumph Private Collection, Tuscan Dreams, The Westin Turtle Bay and Resort Spa - Mauritius, Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, The Address Hotels and Resorts, Hello Tourism, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Venice, African Pride Tours, Jupe by Jackie, Lavish, Venice First, Cocoon Events Group Limited, Constance Hotels and Resorts, Private Events by OMNI APICO, Four Seasons Hotel Milano, Four Seasons Hotel Mauritius at Anahtia, One and Only Hayman Island, Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort, Cox & Kings, Chateau de Challain, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, Borgo Egnazia, Shanti Maurice, Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa, HRH Group of Hotels, Badal Raja Photography, Georges Chahoud Photography, Tam Tam Tours, LUX* Belle Mare, Long Beach Mauritius, M/S Surya Design Line Pvt. Ltd. to name a few. Some of the key Mauritius partners and high end service providers who have confirmed their support for the DWP congress includes: Impact Productions, Fujiland Marquees, 07Amps Production, Event Creators, and Patrick’s Floral Design. Arabia Wedding and 5star Wedding Directory are the Media partners for the Congress. Emirates is the Official Airline partner whereas other premium luxury partners include Swarovski as the Gold Sponsors and Tanishq as the Bridal Jewellery Partner.

About Destination Wedding Planners Congress:
The Destination Wedding Planners Congress is an avant garde initiative and the only of its kind concept in the world. This spectacular congress has raised the bar of the destination wedding industry, as the crème de la crème across the globe from the wedding industry will converge under one platform in 2015.
The Destination Wedding Planners Congress is taking place on 14 – 15 April 2015 at the 5 star luxury hotel - LUX* Belle Mare in Mauritius. A strictly 'by-invitation' only - exclusive event, the DWP Congress will be attended by over 300 participants including Premium partners such as Swarovski, Tanishq and global providers of luxury travel and stay, and limited to only 100 Top Notch, A-list wedding planners from all over the world.
After receiving stupendous success in Greece last time, the DWP Congress 2015 is set to take the destination wedding industry to the next level, being dubbed as “the most awaited event of the year”.
Organiser: About QnA International
QnA International creates and delivers business learning and development exchange platforms through B2B conferences, bespoke events and training. The company also has an expertise in outsourced sponsorship sales and key account management. www.qnainternational.com