Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre completes successful first year

Muscat: More than 100 events have taken place at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) since it opened its doors on October 10, 2016.
In the last one year, OCEC hosted 101 events and welcomed more than 750,000 visitors, who attended a variety of events, and helped boost the local economy.
OCEC also inaugurated the opening of the first phase of a 22,000 square metre 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 is back again at the same venue for the 7th International Exhibition for Infrastructure and Industrial Projects, marking OCEC’s 101st event on its first anniversary on October 10 this year.
Much more is to come, as December will feature OCEC’s first international event in the form of 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 OCEC 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 OCEC, says: “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, 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.