SimplyAbuDhabi I

This marks an astonishing development from just a few years ago when Dubai stood as the only serious contender in bringing large scale organisations over to the Middle East. But now, thanks to the investment of a few billion dirham, Abu Dhabi is a major player in a global industry worth £34 billion a year. Amongst those corporate venues taking Abu Dhabi into the business headlines, is the recently launched Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and its first-rate meeting and conference facilities recently scooped two world class awards. The ADNEC is a beacon for the Middle East in providing world class conference facilities and last year the venue hosted 119 events. It’s IDEX show is one of the world’s largest defence exhibitions and more than 900 exhibitors from across the world have signed up to participate in the tenth anniversary show to be held in February next year. Simon Horgan, ADNEC Group CEO, commented: “Abu Dhabi has emerged as a major global destination for live events. In 2005, 14 exhibitions were held at the old exhibition facilities in the UAE capital but in the last five years, we’ve seen an astonishing near nine-fold rise. The Abu Dhabi government has played a vital role in nurturing the emirate’s potential for events, following a multi- pronged development approach that encompasses sectors such as tourism, hotels, transport and communications.” The city is also celebrating the launch of Ferrari World, which after opening in October this year, is the latest addition to Abu Dhabi’s impressive portfolio of highly sophisticated MICE venues. Billed as the world’s biggest theme park, Ferrari World fulfils the need for a quirky and entertaining MICE venue in the UAE. In addition to its eight function rooms, individual attractions can be booked for corporate events or large parties of 50 and 1,500 guests. The outdoor venue is also available for large scale performance-based events and has already pulled in a multitude of famous faces including, Beyoncé, Jamiroquai, Linkin Park, Prince and Kanye West. Troy Lindquist, director of sales and marketing at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, commented: “As Abu Dhabi’s population grows to three million, the Abu Dhabi government is embarking on an ambitious plan to turn the emirate in to a thriving place to live, work and visit. As part of this plan, we’re seeing the development of a lot of fantastic infrastructure facilities which cater to the needs of the local and international business community.” But more long-standing developments, such as Emirates Palace, are also continuing to invest in the development of their conference facilities and the luxury hotel boasts 40 meeting rooms, an auditorium with a 1,000 person capacity and a sumptuous ballroom able to hold 2,400 guests. 21 S IMPLY ABU DHABI ABU DHABI REVS UP A GEAR f e r rar i wo r l d