The Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) marked a successful first year of business on October 10, having hosted 101 events and welcoming over 750,000 visitors.

OCEC inaugurated the opening of the first phase; 22,000-sq-m of exhibition space, last year with their first event, Infra Oman organised by Al Nimr Expo. The event was such a success with increased demand that Infra Oman returned to the same venue for the seventh International Exhibition for Infrastructure & Industrial Projects, marking OCEC’s 101st event on its first anniversary on October 10.

Much more is to come, as December will feature OCEC’s first international events with the ACI Airport Exchange 2017 (Conference and Exhibition), bringing the world’s airport community to the Gulf for the largest event in the Airport Council International’s calendar, and just ahead of the anticipated opening of the new Muscat International Airport. This will be closely followed by the second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, which places Oman’s rich heritage in the world’s spotlight as over 65 ministers from around the globe have confirmed their attendance.

This is just the beginning for the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, as they have successfully won bids for 11 major regional and international conferences with the support of the local authorities and organisations in Oman such as the Oman Convention Bureau, Oman Air, OAMC, Hotels, Destination Management Companies, Professional Conference Organisers, Omran and various local associations. OCEC is working diligently on international bids for events scheduled as far ahead as 2024.

Trevor McCartney, general manager of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, said: “I am delighted to be able to welcome Salim Al Hashmi, general manager and the team at Al Nimr International Exhibition Organisers back to OCEC and wish them a successful event and we look forward to many more years of collaboration ahead.”

This marks a milestone as OCEC is set to unveil yet another phase that is to launch soon and includes a tiered theatre with 3,200 seats, a 450-seat auditorium, two ballrooms for banquets for up to 1,200 guests, 20 meeting rooms with a capacity of up to 360 delegates, hospitality suites and a VIP pavilion.

The precinct includes a JW Marriott Hotel (five-star) linked to the Convention Centre and a Crowne Plaza Hotel (four-star) which represent 600 hotel rooms in total. The OCEC precinct is a key component of Madinat al Irfan - the stunning new urban lifestyle development being developed by Omran (Oman Tourism Development Company), the master developer for OCEC and many other tourism projects in Oman. - TradeArabia News Service