“If you want to know how hard I work, come to my house.”

Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group

HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group, could hardly contain his pride for Dubai as he welcomed FIATA members to the 2007 World Congress. “If you want to know how hard I work, come to my house.”
H.H. Sheikh Ahmed flaunted Dubai 's hard work with a parade of statistics – in 2006, for example, DP World handled 40 million TEU's and Emirates Airlines hosted 7.5 million passengers on 2,350 flights a week to 94 destinations.

Ali Khalfan Saleh Al Jallaf, Vice President of the Cargo Unit at Dubai Cargo Village and Chairman of the Dubai Host Committee for the 2007 FIATA World Congress described the emirates as “the business center of the world.”

And Al Jallaf's fellow committee member Capt. Mansoor Y A Ghafoor described Dubai as “ a place that never sleeps.”

Ghafoor stressed that Dubai has no plan to sleep and will only continue to grow. He cited the emirate's security, direct connections and linkage, ease of detting up business, skilled workforce and open policies as factors that will keep business coming. “ Dubai ,” he said, “has all the key ingredients for a successful logsitics hub.”
H.H. Sheikh Ahmed invited the conference back to Dubai . He promised that Dubai Logistics City will be operational within two years, offering a full renue for the 2009 FIATA World Congress. “Imagine Dubai in 2009,” he told the crowd. The possibility is endless.

“I'm still learning, even now”

Mr. Boes, President of FIATA

It's hard to believe Ali Khalfan Saleh Al Jallaf has anything to learn about logistics. Since joining the Department of Civil Aviation in 1989, he has become an industry leader, for example, founding Dubai Logistics City and the Dubai Flower Center . Today, Al Jallaf serves as Vice President of the Cargo Unit at Dubai Cargo Village . He is also a permanent member of the Executive Board of the National Association of Freight and Logistics.   Despite years of experience in the logistcs industry, Mr. Al Jallaf insists he is still learning. “I'm really happy I work in cargo because it's a school for me,” he says. “I learn a lot. I'm still learning, even now.”

Al Jallaf says, thanks to his industry, he is never bored. In cargo you meet a lot of activities – passengers, traders, porters, airlines, freight operations, government, custorms. You get all the knowledge. “Al Jallaf says conference like FIATA are ideal places to learn more about logistics. He says he values the events's organised forums, and he particularly likes the information opportunities to learn from fellow logistics professionals. In fact, Al Jallaf insists networking at conferences such as this has contributed to his career. If conferences are 50% knowledge to him, the other is connection. Al Jallaf beams with pride to say he knows almost everyone in the industry. FIATA, after all, he says, is about friendship, not only business.