Dubai International Convention Centre gearing up to host the world

The Annual Meetings will be the first major event held at the centre that has been developed to be at the heart of the creation of a vibrant long-term convention business for the UAE.

Mattar Tayer, Head of the Venues and Facilities Committee, Dubai 2003, said: "This is a truly world class venue for a world class event. I have no doubt that the representatives of the 184 nations attending the Annual Meetings will be impressed by the facilities provided to host the event.

"In the main auditorium there will be seating for over 4,250 delegates with a number of meetings rooms of various sizes to facilitate all the requirements of such a complex event. This includes 10 simultaneous translation booths to enable delegates to listen to proceedings in a number of major international languages.

"We are ready to put the Convention Centre to its first major test and confident it will pass with flying colours, enhancing the UAE's international reputation as a location to host the most prestigious and influential gatherings."

Alongside the main auditorium is a vast new concourse that is 248 metres long and 28 metres wide to accommodate the thousands of participants at the event and links to the other halls in the World Trade Centre that will host other key events during the Annual Meetings from 18-25 September.

Other facilities including an office tower, the new base for Dubai 2003 staff and with offices for the visiting international delegations, a Novotel and Ibis Hotel are now complete and operational.

The Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund were first held in Washington DC in 1946. They are hosted by an international city one year in three. The UAE and Dubai were selected because of their highly developed transportation and logistics infrastructure, growing importance as a financial hub and its established position as an oasis of opportunity.