ADNEC has announced that the direct and indirect economic contributions of the group’s seven business sectors to the economy of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE doubled to reach AED7.37bn ($2bn) in 2023.
This represents an increase of 107 per cent compared to 2022, which amounted to AED3.56bn ($970m), to be the largest in the group’s history since its establishment in 2005.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and CEO of ADNEC Group, said that these record achievements align with the group’s commitment to developing solutions and initiatives aimed at accelerating performance growth rates, seizing investment opportunities in its seven business sectors, and working closely to achieve added value for all its shareholders and partners in the government and private sectors.
In 2023, ADNEC group sought to confirm its new corporate identity in a move aimed at enhancing the presence of the group’s seven main business sectors, including:
- Exhibition and conference centres
- Event organisation
- Hospitality and food
- Event services
- Hotels
- Leisure tourism
- Media
Under the umbrella of the ADNEC group, more than 30 brands work harmoniously in seven key sectors and business areas.
The year 2023 witnessed the group’s business sectors winning 21 prestigious international awards in various programmes and activities they are responsible for implementing.
ADNEC Exhibition and conference centres
The ADNEC Group owns and operates three prominent international venues, including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Al Ain Convention Centre, as well as the ExCeL London exhibition and Convention Centre in the UK.
The group’s exhibition centres have achieved a significant increase in the number of visitors to the events hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition and Al Ain Convention Centres by 123 per cent compared to 2022, with the number of visitors reaching about 1.78m visitors compared to about 802,000 visitors in 2022.
For the first time in the group’s history, since its establishment in 2005, the number of events has doubled in one year to more than 476 events, and the number of events hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and Al Ain Convention Centre increased last year by almost 100 per cent compared to 238 events in 2022.
The ADNEC group revealed its support for creating many new job opportunities in the relevant sectors, reaching 51,400 jobs, an increase of 145 per cent over the year 2022, which amounted to 21,000 jobs in the supporting sectors.
The group’s venues in the UAE have hosted a wide range of major international and local events, which witnessed the recording of records, the largest in the history of these events, most notably the largest session of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition, in addition to the largest edition of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition and many other major events.
In 2023, the group’s centres in the UAE and the UK attracted more than 5.3m visitors worldwide, hosting more than 776 specialised international exhibitions, conferences and events.
ADNEC events management
The group’s second business segment includes ADNEC Events Management, which organises high-profile events at the local and international levels, by the capital events company of the group.
It organises nine international exhibitions directly, namely the:
- International Defence Exhibition and conference (IDEX)
- Maritime Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX)
- Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX)
- Simulation and training (SimTEX)
- International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR)
- World Media Congress
- Abu Dhabi International Boat Show
- Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition
- Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition
ADNEC Hotels
The third business segment includes ADNEC hotels, which fully owns seven prestigious international hotels, offering its services to business and leisure travellers alike, namely Aloft London ExCeL, DoubleTree by Hilton, Aloft ExCeL London Hotel, Aloft Abu Dhabi Hotel, Andaz Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, managed by Anantara, in addition to the Reykjavik Hotel in Iceland.
This is in addition to acquiring a share in some hotels such as Shangri-La Bari Village, Fairmont Bab al Bahr, Park Rotana Abu Dhabi, as well as Traders Hotel, Bari Village.
On a related note, ADNEC Group, in cooperation with the ADQ, recently announced the acquisition of 40 percent of Talaat Mustafa’s Icon Group, which includes 15 luxury and heritage hotel assets in Egypt.
The group is currently examining the hotel sector to meet the requirements of tourists and business travellers alike by providing exceptional experiences, in addition to its strategic locations and exclusive specialised services with a total of 2,000 hotel rooms.
In 2023, the group’s hotels received more than 681,000 visitors.
ADNEC Hospitality and Food
The fourth sector under its umbrella includes Capital Catering + Services, which provides hospitality and catering services throughout the UAE, as well as operating Etihad Catering Services.
During the past year, it provided more than 27m meals for more than 1,600 events.
Also, it provided services to 13 airlines operating through Abu Dhabi International Airport, in addition to the services provided to eight hospitals operating in Abu Dhabi.
It also provided specialised catering services to more than 60 private airlines chartered by VIPs.
The capital council was re-launched during the last Ramadan to receive more than 20,000 visitors during the holy month, and a memorandum of cooperation was signed with Naama company to prevent food waste in line with the government initiative.
ADNEC Services and Events
The fourth sector includes ADNEC Services, which provides a wide range of customised solutions, including design, audio-visual production, pavilion construction, master contracting, printing, graphics and photography for the event industry.
During the year 2023, the company oversaw the organisation of 488 events and events, in addition to the geographical expansion into the main markets in the region and the start of projects in more than eight global locations, followed by an increase in market share by promoting the sustainable growth of the exhibition sector.
ADNEC Tourism
The tourism sector plays a leading role in promoting the emirate of Abu Dhabi as a vibrant tourist destination, offering personalised travel experiences and organising special events, enriching the city’s cultural offerings.
The year 2023 witnessed the announcement of the acquisition of Karavel, the French tourism group that is one of the most prominent pillars of the tourism sector in Europe.
The acquisition was to enhance the group’s presence in Europe’s target markets, most notably France, to provide quality service packages in the areas of travel, holiday trips and cruise ships in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, through the Karavel’s online network and its offices located in France.
In the same year, 365 Tours launched the first daily charter flights for the first time ever from three German cities to Abu Dhabi in the last quarter of 2023.
The percentage of hotel bookings also increased by more than 270 per cent to 170,000 hotel nights in 2023 compared to 46,000 hotel nights in 2022 nationwide.
In addition, the company organised more than 115 cruise trips during 2023 compared to 83 in 2022, an increase of 39 per cent, and was able to increase the average stay of tourists by three times to six nights compared to only two nights in 2022.
ADNEC Media
In conclusion, TwoFour54 announced the company’s plans to open two new destinations designed to accommodate and serve the specialised creative communities in Abu Dhabi, which are scheduled to be launched over the next three years, providing the largest network of studio facilities in the UAE.
The new destination will feature two soundstages, each measuring 700sq m and 14m high, with several indoor support facilities, including waiting rooms and dedicated areas for clothes and makeup.
Progress is also continuing on developing the upcoming second phase of the Creative Zone – YAS, which will welcome additional numbers of media and entertainment organisations and content industry pioneers to Yas Island in 2026.
Twofour54 will provide an integrated facility that includes a ground floor, seven floors, underground parking, as well as office, retail and other food and beverage outlets, making up a total construction area of 92,500sq m.
Follow us on
