OCEC Focuses on Youth Empowerment for Future Growth and National Development

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OCEC, Muscat 17 February 2020

Muscat, 17 February 2020 – The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is strengthening its focus on youth empowerment to support continued success and national capacity development. Through a collection of local partnerships, training and community outreach programmes, and career development plans, the premium events venue is looking to the next generation of professionals for the future.
“We have a talented and enthusiastic youth population in Oman who are a fundamental component of any future development plans. Through a framework for building human capital - that includes young people in decision-making processes and provides them with the tools and resources for empowerment - we can improve outcomes across the board and ensure sustainable growth,” said Eng. Said Salim Al Shanfari, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre.
“We want to provide a place that cultivates learning and development, where Omani professionals and aspiring future industry leaders can attain the skills and knowledge needed for building a strong economy for generations to come. This is essentially an investment in the future of OCEC and of the Sultanate,” he added.
The state-of-the-art events venue has partnered with local educational institutions - including Sultan Qaboos University and Oman Tourism College - to support internship programmes and industry links for graduating students. Through the partnerships, OCEC has trained more than 35 students from various institutions, some of whom have continued at OCEC as full time employees to further their careers.
“I started working with OCEC as an intern in reception,” said Bushra Rashid Al Rashdi. “While I was interning, I wanted to learn more about audio-visual technology and OCEC provided cross-departmental training that allowed me to develop my skills and eventually move to the AV department as a full-time employee. Today, I am a Digital Media Operator with OCEC and I’m excited to continue growing with the company.”
As a part of internal capacity strengthening, OCEC further employee growth through a selection of association training programmes, industry seminars and certified courses. The venue has registered five youth employees in the UFI Exhibition Management Degree, providing training on all aspects of the events industry, including marketing, risk management, finance and strategic planning.  Additional employees recently attended the Oman CEO Forum and are regularly provided with management, leadership and personal development workshops.
“I joined OCEC as a full-time receptionist, which gave me exposure to the wider events industry and led to my interest in event management. I didn’t have the necessary experience to work in the department, but I was able to undertake internal training and development workshops so that I could apply for a permanent position within the events department. Now, as an Event Services Supervisor, my next step would be to move in to a more senior position, so I plan to participate in more management and leadership focused programmes in order to get there,” said Saoud Ibrahim Al Mazroui, a Bachelors degree graduate with OCEC. 
Through its youth empowerment agenda, OCEC is aiming to build a young Omani workforce that is equipped with the skills and knowledge for securing success, as well as the individual integrity and confidence required for leadership. The business events venue is taking 2020 as a year to continue their commitment to the Sultanate.
– 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.

 

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