The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) will launch a roadshow in Europe on October 5 with an itinerary that includes Berlin, Brussels, Geneva and Milan, cities that host high numbers of industry associations.

Held in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the European Roadshow is a series of exclusive client events presenting the compelling offer of the OCEC as a venue for conferences, congresses and exhibitions, and Oman as a destination, to key decision makers, thought leaders and professional associations across a variety of industries.

In Milan, the Roadshow will be able to take advantage of the Sultanate’s Milan Expo 2015 pavilion, designed to offer a taste of Oman’s authentic charm and an introduction to its wide-ranging tourism and investment opportunities.

“During this year’s Roadshow in Europe, we have included additional networking events and will be visiting new cities to enable us to develop new leads and build relationships with organisers and associations,” said Trevor McCartney, OCEC general manager.

“Our aim is to share the remarkable proposition of the OCEC and our passion for this oasis of beauty, culture, integrity and business opportunities, the Sultanate of Oman.”

Salim Al Mamari, director general of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Tourism said: “The Roadshow in Europe is the ideal business platform to showcase the genuine warmth of Omani hospitality and what the Sultanate has to offer to delegates. We are working closely with the OCEC team during our visits to four major European business focal points in order to share the tremendous possibilities associated with Oman’s vision for future development as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Europe is home to the headquarters of more than 58 per cent of the world’s international associations. Hugely successful, the previous European Roadshows have resulted in numerous deals to host international gatherings at the OCEC and last year attracted more than 160 international association decision makers with the potential to bring 130,000 attendees to Oman.

According to McCartney, the response to the OCEC Roadshow is expected to be particularly strong this year thanks to the attention the Sultanate has received following numerous recent international accolades, including being listed as one of the top 52 places in the world to visit in 2015 by The New York Times and named the number one destination for 2015 by the global travel industry website skift.com.

The centrepiece of Oman’s business event development programme, the OCEC is acknowledged as one of the world’s most exciting emerging convention and exhibition destinations. With the opening of Phase One in early 2016, which will concentrate on exhibitions, banqueting functions, live events, corporate and government meetings, the OCEC will attract thousands of visitors in its first year of operation.

Phase Two, the Convention Centre, will be ready for business in 2017 and will include a tiered, lyric-style 3,200-seat auditorium, another theatre which seats 450, 13 well-appointed meeting rooms, a VIP Pavilion and a Grand and Junior Ballroom which seat 1,360 and 600 in banquet-style respectively. Over the next seven years, the game-changing venue will host up to 446 different events, welcoming, on average, 600,000 visitors a year. – TradeArabia News Service