The three largest events, World Future Energy Summit, World Ophthalmology Congress  and the Tawdheef together accounted for over 64,000 visitors, whilst celebrations staged by ADNEC’s specialist wedding consultancy, Al Maa’red Weddings, also brought  several thousand guests to the venue.

Humaid Al Dhaheri, ADNEC’s ChiefSales & Marketing Officer, commented:

“Last year was very successful for ADNEC, we hosted 231 events. This year appears to be equally promising taking into consideration the numbers reported during this first quarter.  The different types of events taking place at ADNEC are in line with the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision which aims to focus on sectors such as energy, defence, and tourism.”

Major milestones in the first quarter of 2012 include:

• The award for World’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre 2011 at the World Travel Awards held in Doha in January and Best International Venue in the Exhibition News Awards (held in 29 March). ADNEC was also short-listed for Best Contribution to Sustainability, Best Purpose-Built Events Venue in the Middle East Events Awards (to be held 2 May) Middle East's Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre, Middle East's Leading Tourism Development Project (Capital Gate), Middle East’s Leading New Hotel (Hyatt Capital Gate) at World Travel Awards (held in 30 April)
• World Future Energy Summit in January brought to ADNEC more than 26,000 visitors and speakers, providing a platform for the world’s foremost specialists on sustainable energy to share knowledge and expertise;
• At the end of January, Tawdheef, the largest recruitment show in the Gulf, attracted more than 28,000 local and regional visitors;
• The World Ophthalmology Congress in February - the largest congress ever held in the capital, with over 10,000 visitors from 136 countries;
• February also saw ADNEC unveil ICC Abu Dhabi, boosting the UAE capital’s positioning as a destination for large-scale international conventions and association events;
• ISNR (International Security National Resilience Exhibition and Conference) in March focused on homeland security issues. The event, which also featured a fire fighting championship, attracted close to 9,000 visitors and included exhibitors from 26 countries.

Looking ahead, April brings a diverse line-up of seven major events, starting with the second ever World Ports and Trade Summit 2-4 April, which is a hub for international business and government leaders from more than 500 companies and government entities to discuss alternative futures of the global shipping industries.  

Cityscape Abu Dhabi, 22–25 April, is the capital’s premier event for the real estate industry and acts as a platform for introducing projects, discussing issues, as well as a meeting point for peers, investors, and government agencies. During the last couple of years it has attracts hundreds of exhibitors and 25,000 visitors per annum.

The inaugural Piscine Middle East is co-located with Cityscape, 22-25 April. The swimming pool and spa trade show expects to attract 60 international exhibitors and more than 2,000 visitors during its first year.

Other events taking place in April include Emirates Skills National Competition 2012, 11-12 April, Abu Dhabi International Sports Exhibition, 12-14 April, Arabian Build and Construction, 22-25 April and Beauty Secrets Show 2012, 30 April – 3 May.