From falconry and high fashion to oil and gas events, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) has fast established itself as an exhibition and conference hub, since its launch in 2007.
Last year, the centre welcomed 1.6 million visitors to 327 events.
“ADNEC has achieved phenomenal growth in its portfolio of events over the past few years,” says Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, acting group chief executive at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.
“We have redoubled our efforts to develop and upgrade our facilities to accommodate this growth and meet the evolving needs of event organisers, exhibitors and visitors.”
To that end, ADNEC signed a five-year agreement with Agility’s Fairs and Events in July, to provide a full range of logistics and freight forwarding services to exhibitors and event organisers.
Al Dhaheri claims the partnership will provide customers with faster and more efficient services.
“This will significantly improve their operational and cost efficiencies, while further boosting their competitive edge,” Al Dhaheri says.
Infrastructure surrounding the centre, in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s embassy precinct, has also thrived since the centre’s launch. Three-, four- and five-star hotels now offer 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance. Two hotels feature direct links; the 189-room Hyatt Capital Gate and the 408-room Aloft Hotel.
Complementing 133,000sqm of flexible indoor-outdoor space, ADNEC has a deep channel marine facility to showcase military vessels and superyachts.
This versatility comes to the fore when the centre welcomes one of its largest shows, the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX). Meanwhile, during the annual Abu Dhabi Book Fair, restaurants and cafes open 24 hours daily to serve more than 200,000 visitors.
Similar large-scale events include the International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) and International Security, Safety and National Resilience Exhibition and Conference (ISDNR).
Al Dhaheri says the centre is a popular choice for events serving the renewable energy, petrochemicals, healthcare, real estate, food and beverage sectors. But the business was keen attract events in tourism, transportation, financial services and media in line with the government’s Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.
As neighbouring Dubai prepares for Dubai Expo 2020, ADNEC faces fierce competition. When asked whether the region risked an oversupply of exhibition space, Al Dhaheri says Abu Dhabi’s state-of-the-art business tourism and MICE facilities made it an ideal destination for large-scale events.
However, ADNEC has diversified its portfolio to reduce its reliance on exhibitions and trade shows.
“Towards this end, we are bidding for more internationally rotating association meetings to be held in Abu Dhabi in close collaboration with our strategic industry partners,” Al Dhaheri says.
ADNEC recently welcomed new shows including the Global Forum in Innovations in Agriculture; disability awareness event ABILITIESme; Fire and Emergency Middle East Exhibition; and the Occupational Safety and Health Middle East Conference.
To entice organisers to the emirate, the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau offers its Advantage Abu Dhabi incentive, which presents benefits on a sliding scale.
“All these factors keep our venues busy and running in full swing,” Al Dhaheri says.
