ADNEC wins key awards at Middle East 'Event Oscars'

ADNEC was also presented with a special award for ADNEC Group CEO Simon Horgan, who was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the Middle East events industry.

In addition to the prestigious award for its Group CEO, ADNEC also received the awards for "Best Venue" for ADNEC - the largest exhibition centre in the Gulf region and the most modern in the world and "Best Trade Show" for IDEX 2009 - the largest ever exhibition staged in the Middle East and widely acknowledged to be the most successful IDEX ever.

Summer In Abu Dhabi (SIAD) organised by ADNEC and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) also won "Best Theme" which was accepted by event designers, HQ Creative. SIAD attracted a record breaking 135,000 visitors to ADNEC last summer to this family extravaganza.

Commenting on ADNEC's award winning performance, Simon Horgan said:

"These awards are a result of four years of hard work by everybody involved with ADNEC, from the unwavering support of the leadership of Abu Dhabi, to the commitment of our partners in staging memorable events, to the endless energy and enthusiasm of ADNEC's employees. Together, we have reinvigorated the events industry in Abu Dhabi, in recent years the effects of this transformation have been felt far beyond the borders of the emirate. I am honoured to say that the international events industry is now looking to the Middle East, and particularly to Abu Dhabi, for innovation and inspiration - this is the greatest tribute possible."

Jessica Sutherland, General Manager of event organisers IIR, added, "I am delighted that we have been able to officially recognise the incredible achievements of ADNEC in recent years, both in terms of the state-of-the-art facilities that they have brought to the regional industry, but also for the innovation that they have brought to live events. I am also personally thrilled that Simon Horgan has been commended for his outstanding contribution to the industry, firstly in Dubai in the early 1990's, but most notable for his recent role in the transformation of Abu Dhabi as a live event destination - it is well deserved."

These accolades follow other recent ADNEC wins including, "Best International Venue" (Confex 2009), "Best Commercial and Retail Project" (Cityscape 2009) and "Project of the Year" (Construction Week 2008). At the Middle East Event Awards 2008, the inaugural World Future Energy Summit was recognised at the "Best Congress in the Middle East." Our overseas venue, ExCeL London, also scooped a number of awards this April, winning "Best Venue Support" and the "Green Award" at the Exhibition News Awards, and silver in the "Best Business Venue" category at the prestigious Enjoy Excellence in England Awards.