ADNEC contributes $250 million to Abu Dhabi’s Economy in 2021

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) group, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi-based Holding Company ADQ, has directly and indirectly contributed $250 million to the Abu Dhabi economy in 2021.

ADNEC announced strategic investments to expand its facilities in Abu Dhabi and ExCeL London and adopted a new direction in its business by entering the leisure tourism sector by launching new companies that strengthen the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi and doubled its portfolio of hotel assets.

The group also doubled its portfolio of hotel assets by acquiring new hotels, bringing the total to six local and international hotels providing 1,465 hotel rooms. The group included Anantara resort, Bani Yas Island Abu Dhabi; Qasr Al Sarab Desert resort and DoubleTree by Hilton Excel London.

ADNEC also launched a new company ‘Tourism 365,’ to support creating experiential travel opportunities for tourists coming to Abu Dhabi, and to enhance the emirate’s regional and global positioning in the wider tourism sector. It has also continued its growth with the acquisition of the Etihad Airport Services Catering and Etihad Holidays.

Unprecedented Challenges

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNEC, said: “We have overcome unprecedented challenges of recent years and look forward to a bright future ahead as we continue to evolve our business throughout the recovery phase of the global pandemic and navigate a pathway to sustained success.”

Development operations, which are scheduled to begin this year, include building a specialised exhibition hall at ADNEC Marina on the waterfront of ADNEC. The hall will cover an area of 10,000 sq m.

The year saw a 12% increase in overall area for indoor exhibitions at the ADNEC to 92,000 sq m and a 25% increase in area at ExCeL London to 25,000 sq m.

The ExCeL London centre has acquired approval for the schematics for the third stage expansion of its facilities. The expansion involves adding 25,000 sq m of space for exhibitions, establishing new halls for meetings and conferences, rest areas, and several services facilities for restaurants, which will increase the centre’s overall space by 25%.

Upon completion, the third stage of expanding ExCeL London will provide around 115 new jobs, 50% of which will be allocated to locals.

The Company also organized and hosted a wide range of events across its centres in the UAE and the UK, including 174 exhibitions, conferences and special events.

Moving Forward

Al Dhaheri further said: “This success reflects the commitment and dedication of our teams that have spared no effort to raise the level of the company’s excellence at the local and global levels. In the past two years, as we entered the recovery phase, we are moving steadily towards a bright future to continue developing our business to reach sustainable growth, prosperity and excellence at all levels.”

The group, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), continued its support to the Abu Dhabi government, and the health authorities in the UK to control the spread of COVID-19 by establishing field hospitals and health centers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and London.