Adnec events give a boost to Abu Dhabi’s economy

The event company's direct and indirect first-quarter contribution was Dh1.12bn.

The biennial Idex and Navdex defence industry events, held in February at Adnec, became the most successful ever. Pawan Singh / The National

The success of events such as Idex and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week helped to lift the contribution of conferences and exhibitions to the emirate’s economy.

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec Group), said yesterday it brought in more than 300,000 visitors to the emirate in the first three months of this year, generating 240,396 guest nights for the hospitality industry in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

The contribution to the economy, directly and indirectly, was Dh1.12 billion for the period, 8 per cent higher than a year earlier as it hosted 12 exhibitions and 108 conferences in the first quarter. The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) sector also accounted for 6,922 jobs.

“Adnec [Group] has continued to deliver impressive growth and strong performance across all our business segments in the first quarter of 2017,” said Humaid Al Dhaheri, the group chief executive.

He said the company had focused on the diversification of its events portfolio. The biennial Idex and Navdex defence industry events, held in February, became the most successful ever with 1,235 companies participating, more than 100,000 visitors received and business deals of Dh20bn in value agreed, up 5 per cent from 2015.

“As we continue into the second quarter of 2017, we are committed to maintaining the momentum and achieving new milestones,” said Mr Al Dhaheri. “We are confident that our top-notch facilities and ability to cater to the dynamic customer requirements will give us an edge over our competitors.”

Adnec Group operates the 133,000 square metre Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the Al Ain Convention Centre and the ExCel London.

The conference centre operator has already announced its partnership with British Marine Boat Shows to host the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show in October 2018. It also recently won two international conference bids, it said. The FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress will be held in 2019 and a second unnamed event will be announced later in the year.

“Together with our partners, Adnec takes pride in playing a major role in Abu Dhabi’s economic transformation through the development of business tourism sector and enhancing Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a destination of choice for key event organisers and professional associations,” said Noura Al Kaabi, the chairwoman of Adnec and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs.

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter