The ICC at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), which rebrands its Abu Dhabi Hall, is expected to boost the UAE capital’s positioning as a destination for large-scale international conventions and association events.

“ADNEC has an important role to play in achieving the vision for the emirate outlined in Abu Dhabi’s Plan 2030. Building on our success to date, we continue to seek out new opportunities and raise Abu Dhabi’s international profile as a destination for major events; the creation of ICC Abu Dhabi is another step in this direction,” said HE Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

The ICC move comes ahead of this week’s World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 being held at ADNEC from 16-20 February. The event is the largest congress to be staged in the UAE capital and is expected to attract 12,000 delegates,said ADNEC’s Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Humaid Al Dhaheri.

“Hosting successful events of this scale showcases our capabilities and the flexibility of our venue. With a dedicated ICC and all the supporting facilities we have in place, Abu Dhabi is in a great position to attract many more large conventions in the coming months and years,” he added.

Noting that conventions were an incredibly strong sector and a heavyweight component of the events industry, Humaid Al Dhaheri said that the creation of this designated ICC for Abu Dhabi signals an intention to actively target a growing sector, underlining ADNEC’s reputation as a preferred venue for international association conferences – a robust market with huge growth potential.

“Professional conference organisersrecogniseand appreciate ICCs. The ICC Abu Dhabi adds another string to our bow as we actively promote the emirate internationally as a growing market for association meetings.”

ICC Abu Dhabi has a fully flexible, tiered auditorium seating up to 6,000 people with the 7,920sqm space being able to host a range of meetings and events. Two other large conference rooms, 19 smaller break-out rooms, additional exhibition space of 65,080sqm and catering facilities, complement the amenities at Abu Dhabi ICC.

2400+ hotel rooms are currently available on-site or within 5 minutes driving distance of the venue, with an additional 700+ rooms expected to be added to on-site hotel stock by end of this year.

A number of major events such as the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and the first IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) General Assembly have been staged at ICC Abu Dhabi.