Abu Dhabi exhibitions firm makes more from its shows

Abu Dhabi recorded double-digit growth at its main exhibition centres last year as the emirate hosted more big conventions.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (Adnec) and Al Ain Convention Centre together hosted 369 events last year, an increase of 13 per cent on the 327 events from the previous year. They drew 1.8 million visitors.

In 2014, the two facilities attracted 1.6 million visitors. These contributed Dh3.47 billion to the local economy, a 26 per cent increase on Dh2.76bn in 2014, Adnec said.

The exhibitions company also plans to upgrade its facilities to host an increased number of international and regional events this year.

The hotel management company Rotana told The National it expects to open its third pro­perty next to the convention centre in the fourth quarter with 315 rooms.

“Adnec also contributed to the high occupancy levels of hotels in the UAE delivering a total of 522,000 guest nights, a surge of 21 per cent compared with 430,000 guest nights in 2014,” said Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Adnec’s acting group chief executive.

Abu Dhabi added eight hotels and hotel apartments last year, including one near the convention centre, taking the total room count across the city to 29,760, an increase of 4.6 per cent on 2014.

New properties include Capital Centre Arjaan by Rotana, which opened adjacent to Adnec with 259 hotel apartments. There are more than 2,000 rooms across the Adnec premises from six hotels and hotel apartments, ranging from the budget Premier Inn to the luxury Hyatt Capital Gate.

Last year, the convention centre hosted 12 new exhibitions, Mr Al Dhaheri said.

Some big-ticket exhibitions this year include the week-long Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week from March 6. In February last year, the International Defence Exhibition drew 101,000 visitors and 1,200 companies. The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in November reported 80,000 visitors.

Adnec also achieved its 55 per cent Emiratisation target, up from 51 per cent in 2014, at the end of last year. It created 18,600 jobs in the UAE last year in business tourism, up from 14,500 jobs in 2014.

Last year, ExCeL London reported its most successful year, so far, with 313 events drawing 3.2 million visitors, an increase from 2.3 million visitors from 309 events in 2014.

Adnec acquired ExCeL London in 2008 for Dh2.3bn.

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