Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has signed an agreement with U.S global destination marketing firm, Marketing Challenges International (MCIntl) to bring major global corporate and association events to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre; the Gulf’s largest exhibition centre located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The agreement will see MCIntl act as ADNEC’s exclusive sales agent in the U.S and Canada, promoting the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre to a huge number of decision making meeting planners, arranging study tours and advising ADNEC management of key North American market trends. In addition to promoting ADNEC’s world class event facilities, MCIntl will also highlight Abu Dhabi emirate’s unique appeal to event organisers, including its massive infrastructure investment and unparalleled government support.

“Abu Dhabi provides the ideal gateway to a region brimming with potential. I am confident ADNEC’s strategic alliance with MCIntl will enable North American businesses to use events staged at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre as a platform to reach out to the countries in Middle East North Africa (MENA), as well as key emerging markets such as China, India and CIS countries,” said Humaid Al Dhaheri, ADNEC’s Director of Finance & HR.

Christina Anthony, ADNEC Sales & Marketing Director, said: “The North American convention and association sector offers tremendous potential for ADNEC and we’re very excited to announce this strategic move.  There is a huge demand for events within the Abu Dhabi market, this combined with the world-class facilities on offer and the tremendous support offered to event organisers by the Abu Dhabi government, creates a powerful sales proposition to take to the North American market.”

MCIntl, located in New York, has operated for 25 years and has worked with a vast number of global venues, convention bureaus and government organisations.  Currently it represents a number of high profile organisations, including three of the world’s most successful convention destinations Vienna, Barcelona and Berlin.  Additionally MCIntl also represents Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau and ExCeL London, ADNEC’s major venue in the UK capital, for which it became the exclusive North American sales agent in July 2008.  ADNEC is the company’s first venture into the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

Michel Couturier, President of Marketing Challenges International said, “We have long looked to the Middle East with a sense of excitement.  In recent years the region has come to the forefront of the global destinations business, with a number of landmark developments. None of these projects has excited us more than the development of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre; we are delighted to have entered into agreement with the Gulf’s largest venue of its kind and we look forwarded to spreading the word about ADNEC and Abu Dhabi to the United States and Canadian market.”

ADNEC will continue its push for new U.S business throughout 2011, launching a marketing drive which will see it participate in two major American meetings industry exhibitions; AIBTM, which takes place in Baltimore in June and IMEX America which take place in Las Vegas in October.  As well as sending senior delegations to meet with influential meeting planners in New York City, Chicago and Washington DC.

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre opened in February 2007 and provides 73,000sqm of indoor exhibition space, complemented by 20,000sqm of outdoor waterfront event space.  It is further supplemented by a range of convention, banquet and meeting spaces.

The venue staged 119 major events in 2009 welcoming well over 1 million visitors.  The venue was recently named “Best International Venue of the Year” at the UK Association of Exhibition Organisers Awards in London; this follows awards for “Best International Venue” at the Exhibition News Awards in 2010 and “Middle East’s Leading Exhibition Centre” at the World Travel Awards in 2009.