The day highlighted the strategic importance of the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) industry to the growth of world economies … reports Asian Lite News.
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed that it participated in the worldwide celebrations of Global Exhibitions Day (GED) on 6th June, highlighting the strategic importance of the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) industry to the growth of world economies.
The GED initiative, which began in 2016, has seen an ever-growing number of participants and is actively supported by 40 exhibition industry associations and coordinated by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. As with previous GED events, industry professionals and students from around the world have been very active in online campaigns this year, while many global organisations hosted and organised events marking the day’s significance.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO of ADNEC, said, “These are truly exciting times for the global MICE industry as analysts are predicting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5 percent in the next five years and reaching US$1.24 billion in 2023. Rapid globalisation along with the expansion of service industries and the continuing emergence of newer technologies have become key drivers in this industry’s continuous growth.”
He continued,, “In line with this, ADNEC is confident that it will be a key player in the growth–remaining steadfast in our commitment to provide world class services and facilities to the region. We join the whole world as it celebrates GED on 6th June, which aims to highlight the importance of the MICE industry for world economies. With over 260 million visitors and 4.4 million exhibitors generating EUR 98 billion (AED422 billion) in revenues every year, the MICE industry contributes significantly to the GDP of every country in the world.”
The year 2017 was a momentous one for ADNEC. It held 54 exhibitions, representing an increase of 25.5 percent from 2016, including 13 new exhibitions. Customer satisfaction was at an all-time high, at 94.6 per cent. During the same year, ADNEC upgraded its Wi-Fi network to become the fastest in the UAE. It spearheaded several ‘Green’ initiatives and recycled 1,049 tons of waste material. It launched its strategic ‘Innovation Lab’ initiative in 2017, generated 22,000 job opportunities within Abu Dhabi and contributed to the occupancy of 690,000 hotel nights in the emirate as a result of the hosted events and exhibitions.