ADNEC registers 49% increase in number of events hosted by its centers during 2012

His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADNEC, said ADNEC has registered strong performance and highly positive business results in 2012.

He added that ADNEC is aggressively pursuing its strategy of seeking increased collaboration with strategic partners to attract local and international conference organizers to Abu Dhabi, through leveraging its unique location and ability to match the expectations of customers.

He added that ADNEC adopted advanced methods and marketing plans in 2012 to meet the varied needs of the exhibitions and conferences industry. The strategy helped attract new and quality events in key sectors such as healthcare, petrochemicals, renewable energy, education, technology, employment, construction and contracting.

Building on ADNEC's strategy that focuses on developing and expanding its centers to accommodate more events, the number of visitors to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and the Al Ain Convention Centre grew to 1.4 million during 2012, compared to around one million visitors during 2011. The number of events hosted also grew to 360 in 2012 from 232 the previous year, indicating an increase of 49%.

As part of the ongoing development and expansion of the facilities and hospitality services in the vicinity of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, the total number of hotel rooms was increased to 1,232 rooms towards the end of 2012.

Last year, ADNEC hosted 17 conferences that attracted around 25,000 participants. It also hosted 111 special events and meetings.

The marketing division of ADNEC achieved an increase in media coverage valued at Dhs257m and disseminated the company's news across multiple media.

In 2012, ADNEC achieved several prestigious awards and certifications, including ISO 9001:2008 certification, Best Purpose Built Venue Award at the Middle East Events, and Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award - Gold Category in Customer Service. It was also named the 'World's Leading Meetings and Conference Centre for 2012' at the World Travel Awards (WTA) for the second consecutive year.

Some of the prominent events hosted by ADNEC last year include the World Future Energy Summit and Expo, World Ophthalmology Congress, Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It was also the official host and hub of the 79th Annual UFI Congress for the first time in the Middle East.

The largest edition of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2012), a key industry event, also took centerstage at the venue in 2012.