Regional Financial Group Hosting Annual Strategy Conference

Background

A regional financial services group with offices across the GCC region hosted an annual three-day strategy conference for senior leadership and regional heads. The event brought together around 85 attendees from five countries, with a mix of flights, accommodation, transfers, meeting space, and off-site dinners.

In previous years, the company had managed the event internally, and while successful, the process required significant internal coordination, involved multiple suppliers, and created pressure on administrative teams.

The Requirement

The group wanted a single partner to manage travel logistics and event coordination in a more structured way. Cost was a consideration, but the primary objective was execution reliability and reducing the internal workload associated with managing a multi-day event.

What Utravel Delivered

Utravel managed end-to-end logistics, including flight coordination, hotel contracting, group transfers, meeting room setup, and on-ground support. A single consolidated budget was presented, with all supplier costs itemized and a clear management fee outlined separately from the start.

Arrival and departure transfers were coordinated centrally, which reduced delays and confusion for attendees. On-site support was also implicated, ensuring last-minute changes were handled without escalation to the client’s internal team.

During the planning phase, Basel Abu Alrub, Managing Director, commented, “For leadership events, the objective is simple – everything needs to run smoothly without pulling internal teams away from their core responsibilities.”

Results

The event was delivered on schedule with no flight delays impacting the agenda. Accommodation and meeting facilities were secured within the agreed budget, and on-site issues were minimal and handled in a timely and effective manner.

Post-event feedback showed a noticeable reduction in internal planning time compared to previous years. What’s more, the finance team also benefited from receiving a single, transparent invoice rather than multiple supplier bills.

Client Impact

For this project, the senior leadership was able to focus on content and strategy rather than logistics. Internal teams also spent less time coordinating with numerous suppliers, and the event was delivered with a high level of operational confidence.