The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) is strengthening its offering at its AED8bn Capital Centre with a series of improvements to its exhibition centre and a venture into the world of concerts and stage shows to complement its exhibitions.
Capital Centre, a micro-city of 23 mixed-use towers, seven hotels and the ADNEC centre, sold out in 2007. Since then the development has been embraced by Abu Dhabi, and is now established as a centrepiece of the emirate's international business offering.
It’s new talisman, the iconic Capital Gate tower is a seemingly gravity-defying tower that in time will house a new Hyatt hotel, which follows the opening of Aloft Abu Dhabi in October last year.
Last month the tower welcomed the arrival of major financial companies Al Nasser Holdings and The National Investor, both relocating their corporate headquarters to take advantage of Capital Centre's growing facilities.
Later this year it will be joined to the exhibition centre car park with an arc-shaped bridge, part of an ongoing programme to ease access for exhibition attendees around the venue's horseshoe layout.
Marketing director Paul Vincent is adamant a broad offering is crucial to ADNEC's success. To this end ADNEC is now in the final stage of developing the AED3.5bn Al Ain Convention Centre district in Al Ain, located near the popular Al Jimi area of the city.
“We see the development in Al Ain having a very strong focus on education and culture, to become a centre of excellence and of learning,” says Vincent.
“Al Ain holds a special place in the hearts of the UAE people. The Al Ain Convention Centre district is a pioneering and highly strategic initiative for Al Ain and its people, one that aims to create a vibrant business and lifestyle destination which will boost the allure of the city by drawing the spotlight onto Al Ain's tremendous potential,” says ADNEC MD, H.E. Ali Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri.
Back at Capital Centre, the ADNEC exhibition centre is itself diversifying with the advent of international stageshows and other entertainment events running alongside the venue's calendar of major exhibitions.
“Part of our strategy is to look at events that have some sort of synergy with the exhibitions. If we've got a motor show, we would do a motoring-related event,” he says, possibly referring to UK auto show Top Gear Live.
“That way a major exhibitor could buy an evening performance for their guest - the offer is there for major sponsors or exhibitors to buy an performance for their clients, hosted here, managed by us,” he says.
This was first trialled in September 2009 with a demonstration by the Household Cavalry titled The Musical Ride, which coincided with the Hunting and Equestrian Show in ADNEC's Abu Dhabi Hall, a multi-purpose hall that had 5,400 seats installed last year.
Vincent says ADNEC, having already put on musical performances by Tom Jones and Harry Connick Jnr, is currently talking to promoters about Ice Shows, such as Cinderella on Ice and Swan Lake on Ice. These shows, while not having any obvious crossover with exhibitions or conventions, will provide a “major opportunity” to expand exhibitions' extra-curricular offerings beyond gala dinners and suchlike, he points out.
This is all made possible by ADNEC's new in-house box office system, which enables visitors to buy online and print tickets at home.
“Many places allow you to reserve tickets online, but then you have to go to a retail outlet where they produce the tickets from a drawer; you have to go to another outlet to buy them. With our system you pay for it online, print at home. Bring your barcode with you.”
The system is capable of selling up to 100,000 tickets per hour and can be accessed by 35,800 travel agents and tour operators in the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
“Part of what we do with exhibitions, be they family, consumer or trade, we'd prefer them to be organised by a third party. When it comes down to the concerts, that's not the case,” adds Vincent.
It all amounts to diversification on several fronts for ADNEC; an expanded offering for exhibitors seeking an expanded service in the post-recession marketplace.
