OCEC Soars to New Heights Winning World’s Leading New Exhibition and Convention Centre Award

News

OCEC, Muscat 09 December 2019

December 9th 2019, Muscat, Oman – The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre has won the World’s Leading New Exhibition & Convention Centre Award at the World Travel Awards 2019. The win recognises OMRAN property’s commitment to excellence and establishes the Sultanate as an emerging business tourism destination. The World Travel Awards are voted on by travel and tourism professionals and consumers around the world who selected the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre out of a lineup of six nominees that included venues in Miami, Japan and Australia.
“This is a truly well-deserved award for the team here at OCEC who have put in every effort to bring the venue to the standard it is at today. It is also a deserved recognition for our owners, OMRAN, who had the vision and the commitment to provide the Sultanate with such a remarkable destination that provides opportunity and prosperity for the country,” said Said Salim Al Shanfari, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. “Surrounded by this beautiful land, we have an absolutely state-of-the-art venue and a team who work tirelessly to ensure a high standard of service with a warm and friendly Omani welcome for our guests. It is a privilege to have all of that recognized with this award and to play a small part in the Sultanate’s development.”
The 26th annual World Travel Awards are globally recognized as the most prestigious honours programme in global travel and tourism. The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, with 22,000sqm of column-free exhibition space, 2 ballrooms and 19 meeting rooms, has spent the last 3 years of pre-opening operations securing international exhibitions and earning its leading position within Oman. Completed with an iconic roof design that depicts the classic Sultan Qaboos Rose, many aspects of the venue pay tribute to the Sultanate and reinforce the venue’s commitment to the nation – from employment programmes to attract and develop Omani employees, through to environmental programmes to protect Oman’s natural beauty and raise awareness for sustainability-driven initiatives.
As Muscat stepped up to host the awards’ Grand Final Gala Ceremony at the Royal Opera House Muscat, figureheads and decision-makers of the global travel industry descended on Oman to recognize some of the world’s finest travel brands. Oman received a staggering 16 awards from a total of 144, with Oman Airports picking up 3, including the Middle East’s Leading Airport award and the World’s Leading Airport Operator. 
Located just 10 minutes from Muscat International Airport, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre has a lineup of new events in the pipework, including the 40th SICOT Orthopedic World Congress, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) Congress, the World Cancer Congress & the International Gas Research Conference 2020, to name a few.
With additional Omani winners including travel tour companies, hotels, and airlines, the Sultanate swept the floor at the ceremony, showcasing the best that the Sultanate has to offer and stepping out from the crowd as a top destination for luxury and business travelers around the world. 
– ENDS –

About OCEC
The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is located in its own fully integrated precinct only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport.  The design of the Centre ensures a flow of the meeting spaces to suit the most discerning conference and exhibition organisers. It also incorporates expansive concourse areas to enable ease of large delegations with floor to ceiling windows overlooking landscaped gardens and water features.
The Centre features two tiered auditoriums to seat 3,200 and 450, while the five exhibition halls feature 22,396 square metres of column-free exhibition space. Hall 1 acts as a multi-purpose space for plenary sessions, concerts, performances and gala dinners on a larger scale. Halls 1 & 2 combined can seat over 10,000 seated in theatre-style.
The Centre also includes an additional 20 meeting rooms for 25-360 delegates, a Grand Ballroom to seat up to 1,200 guests, a Junior Ballroom to seat up to 540 guests for a banquet, 10 hospitality suites, and a VIP Pavilion. In total the Centre offers over 55 meeting space options plus a multi-storey car park with a capacity for 4,000 vehicles.
The Precinct provides the infrastructure necessary to host successful international, regional and local events and is there for the enjoyment of delegates, visitors and the local community. The precinct includes a JW Marriott Hotel (five star) linked to the Convention Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel (four star). A business park, surrounded by a nature reserve, which is a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife, together with parklands and a wadi (valley) park, are also part of this picturesque precinct.

About OMRAN
Oman Tourism Development Company SAOC (Omran) drives the investment, growth and development of the rapidly growing tourism sector in the Sultanate of Oman. The company is the master developer of major tourism, heritage, urban and mixed-use projects, delivering some of nation’s most visionary and iconic destinations. As the leading executive government arm for tourism development, Omran has a proven track record of delivering tourism and related projects to a world-class standard, due to our core philosophy of sustainability, transparency and partnering with renowned regional and international investors.
 

BACK TO TOP

list
THIS WEBSITE IS NOW STORING COOKIES ON YOUR COMPUTER. IF YOU DON'T ALLOW COOKIES. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO USE CERTAIN FEATURES OF THIS WEBSITE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ALL COOKIES.