It’s only natural that Oman would evolve into
a global meetings and conventions hub. After
all, Oman has been an arterial trading route
for more than 5,000 years. Besides offering
a central meeting point ideally positioned
between Europe and Asia, the Sultanate of
Oman is a nation blessed with a diverse landscape and rich history, and its culture is one
that naturally lends itself to hospitality.
So why should meeting planners consider
Oman now? Tourism, especially the meetings
and conventions segment, is a critical part of
Oman’s 2020 Vision, which aims to diversify
the nation’s economy and promote development. Oman’s tourism sector has seen visitation increase by 23. 8 percent in the last five
years, and this number is anticipated to grow
even more when the Oman Convention &
Exhibition Centre (OCEC) and surrounding
development projects open. By 2020, more
than 10,500 hotel rooms are also expected
to be available.
“The Oman Convention & Exhibition Cen-
tre is a very important investment for Oman,”
Salim Al Maamari, director of general tourism
promotion for the Oman Ministry of Tourism,
said at IBTM World 2015 last November. “We
have believed for a long time that the new
center can develop tourism and, through
conventions, we can diversify our economy
and help it grow.”
Every detail about the OCEC has been
carefully weighed and considered to offer
groups the utmost in convenience, starting
with its location. Less than a 10-minute drive
from the new Muscat International Airport,
the OCEC is at the center of a larger mixed-use
development that will have a shopping cen-
ter and four hotels totaling more than 1,000
rooms. The OCEC, which is aiming for LEED
Gold certification, will also overlook a natural
preserve filled with birdlife native to Oman.
The design of the OCEC is such that
all types of meeting and events will be
easily accommodated within the same facil-
ity. World congresses, exhibitions, regional
meetings, gala dinners, performances, and
concerts — there will be elegant spaces for all
of them. The largest, the column-free exhibi-
tion hall, will break down into five sections
and total more than 240,000 square feet.
Hall 1 will have special acoustic, rigging, and
lighting features that will make it ideal for
concerts and performances, especially when
combined with Hall 2 for theater-style setups
of up to 10,000 guests.
As for meetings and conferences, the
OCEC will have two auditoriums — a 3,200-
seat theater equipped with an orchestra
pit and advanced projection, acoustic, and
rigging features; and a second theater that
will seat 450. Easily accessible from those
auditoriums are 14 meeting rooms, all conveniently located on the second floor. For
galas and banquets, the OCEC will offer the
22,388-square-foot Grand Ballroom and the
Oman
A place to inspire and space to succeed
Facility of firsts The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre’s 3,200-seat auditorium will have
the largest fixed-seating capacity of any theater in the Arabian Gulf. And at nearly 400 feet tall, the
auditorium’s dome will also be one of the largest in the region.
