Abu Dhabi-UAE: 23 December, 2012 - Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC) has been named the 'World's Leading Meetings and Conference Centre for 2012' at the World Travel Awards (WTA) in New Delhi, India.

For the second year running, ADNEC has won this prestigious award and faced strong competition from 11 leading exhibition centres worldwide. Other nominees for the award included Dubai World Trade Centre, ADNEC owned ExCeL London, Las Vegas Convention Centre and Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre to name a few.

Hailed as "The Oscars of the Travel Industry" by Wall Street Journal, World Travel Awards is recognised worldwide as the ultimate travel accolade. Established 19 years ago the awards are committed to raising the standards of customer service and overall business performance throughout the international tourism industry.

His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, ADNEC's Chairman said, "The global acclaim ADNEC continues to attract pay tribute to the team work and outstanding commitment of all those involved in supporting Abu Dhabi's plans for the events sector and boosting economic growth".

"ADNEC's mission is to become the leading exhibition, conference and events centre in the World. The venue sets the stage for several world-leading events which bring visitors in their many thousands to Abu Dhabi and to ADNEC" he added.

"This award is a significant achievement for both our employees and stakeholders. ADNEC has a strategic plan that aims to shape Abu Dhabi into a global destination for conferences, congresses and exhibitions. Receiving this award for the second consecutive year is testament to our commitment and dedication to this strategy, to customer service and delivery and also to the credibility we have achieved worldwide."  Said His Excellency Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, ADNEC Managing Director.

Pieter Idenburg, ADNEC Group CEO, said, "This award validates the passion and aspirations of not just our venue, but also of our event organisers and participants. The award symbolises that ADNEC is not only internationally recognised, but that there is a real understanding in the industry of what ADNEC has to offer with regards to conference and exhibition space."

This year has seen ADNEC receive a number of awards including The Middle East Events 2012 Best Multi-use Centre Award as well as the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Award for Excellence - gold category in the services sector.

About ADNEC
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) is a strategic international venue development and management company. ADNEC's venue portfolio includes one of the most modern exhibition centres in the world, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and the UK capital's largest exhibition and conference venue, ExCeL London, and Al Ain Convention Centre in Al Ain.

ADNEC creates the ideal environment for Abu Dhabi's rapidly growing events industry. The projects surrounding the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre include: Capital Centre, a mixed-use development of 23 residential, commercial and mixed-use towers adjacent to the exhibition centre; Capital Gate, the iconic 35 storey record-breaking leaning tower that offers 14 storeys of grade A office space along with the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel; the interconnected four-star Aloft Hotel; and a 20,000sqm waterfront quayside (Marina). 

The company also owns BoxOfficeME, the region's most advanced and high-tech ticket vendor, which complements its event facilities in the UAE; and Al Maa'red Weddings, ADNEC's specialist weddings consultancy.   

For more information visit www.adnec.ae; www.excel-london.co.uk; www.capitalgate.ae; www.boxofficeme.com.

Media contacts
Mohamed Mostafa El Bakhshwangy
Tel: +971 (0) 2 444 6900
DDI: +971 (0) 2 406 3561
Fax: +971 (0) 2 444 6135
Mobile: +971 (0) 50 3346677
mohamed.elbakhshwangy@adnec.ae

© Press Release 2012