Abu Dhabi-UAE: 30 March, 2013 - ExCeL London, Europe's premier event facility owned by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), completed a successful run in 2012, winning five highly-coveted industry awards.

The venue won 'Exhibition Venue of the Year' and 'The Excellence' award at the AEO Awards, as well as 'Exhibition Venue of the Year' at the Event Awards 2012 and Europe's 'Leading Meetings and Conference Centre' at the World Travel Awards. ExCeL London was also ranked as the number one event venue by Event Top 20 Venues Poll for 2012. The recognitions reflect ExCeL London's status as a leading European events destination.  

ExCeL London also scored highly in a survey carried out by Exhibitions News, securing the highest votes in the categories of best visitor experience for consumer events, best visitor experience for exhibitors, and best event organiser.

During 2012, ExCeL London welcomed five million visitors through its doors, contributing over £1.8billion (AED8.3 billion) in economic impact to London. It was also host to seven Olympic and six Paralympic events during the London 2012 Olympic Games, making it one of the most globally spotlighted venues in recent times.

Post-Olympics, ExCeL London remains an event venue of choice and had an impressive fourth quarter 2012. Between September and December 2012, the centre hosted Gastech, the world's leading event for the natural gas and liquid natural gas industry, World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, Naidex South, which increased visitor numbers by seven per cent year on year and Salon International 2012 that saw the highest exhibitor turnout in its 40-year history.

ExCeL London was also host to the glamorous BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December. This was the largest Sports Personality event held to date and watched by millions of television viewers. It provided a memorable end to a remarkable year for sports in the UK.

His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, said: "We are delighted with ExCeL London's trailblazing performance. The five awards are testament to the world-class facilities that the centre offers.

"While the Olympic Games presented a unique, one-off opportunity to showcase the venue's quality as an event host of choice, the success registered in Q4 2012 is more a reflection of the centre's ability to generate year on year growth for the events it hosts."

His Excellency Ali Saeed Bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, said: "Abu Dhabi shares many similarities with London in terms of its attractiveness to the international business travel market. We anticipate a further growth in the MICE industry in both cities through 2013."

ExCeL London is already preparing for a record 2013, with 20 national and international association meetings, as well as a number of corporate events for blue chip companies confirmed for the rest of the year.

The success of ExCeL London mirrors that of ADNEC which earlier this year announced outstanding results for 2012. ADNEC marked a 55 per cent increase in the number of events that contributed to a rise in the number of visitors to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and the Al Ain Convention Centre - from one million in 2011 to 1.4 million in 2012.

As part of the on-going development and expansion of the facilities and hospitality services in the vicinity of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the total number of hotel rooms increased to 4,000 towards the end of 2012 to accommodate the growth of visitor numbers to the prestigious centre.

Some of the prominent events organised at ADNEC last year include the World Future Energy Summit and Expo, World Ophthalmology Congress and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It was also the official host and hub of the 79th Annual UFI Congress for the first time in the Middle East. The largest edition of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2012), a key industry event, also took centre-stage at the venue in 2012.

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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: 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
Wael Kanakri
Tel: +971 (0) 2 444 6900
Fax: +971 (0) 2 444 6135
Wael.kanakri@adnec.ae

© Press Release 2013