Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC), the sultanate’s landmark business events hub, officially opened its doors today (October 10) with Infra Oman 2016, a global trade show for infrastructure and industrial projects, as the inaugural event.

One of the region’s leading facilities for conferences and exhibitions, OCEC has been developed by Omran, a government-owned company mandated to drive the investment, growth and development of the tourism sector in Oman.

It is the master developer of major tourism, heritage and urban developments in the sultanate.

Located about 4 km from the Muscat International Airport, the new convention and exhibition centre is part of Madinat Al Irfan Urban Development. It boasts five exhibition halls that feature 22,000 sq m of column-free exhibition space, a 4,200-slot multi-storey car-park and an energy centre in the first phase of development. In the next phase which is under construction, a two-tiered auditorium that can seat 3,200 and banquet halls and two hotels are set to open next year.

Designed to meet the demands of global conference organisers, are 19 meeting rooms,  easily accessible from the Theatre and Grand Ballroom, which offer 25-360 seats and overlook luscious landscapes, said the statement from Omran.

A business park and a retail shopping mall, surrounded by a nature reserve, which will be a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife, together with parklands and a wadi (valley) park, are also part of this picturesque precinct.-TradeArabia News Service