OMRAN, the organisation mandated by the Omani government to deliver major projects and manage tourism assets and investments, has formally broken ground on the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, a major new project which will become one of the region’s leading facilities for conferences and exhibitions.
The key components of the centre include an auditorium with total seating capacity for 3,000 people, exhibition halls with 25,000 sq m of exhibition space and the ability to seat 10,000 people in the first phase.
The development will also have banquet halls, meeting space, 85,000 sq m of office space in a grade-A business park, four hotels with a total of 1,000 rooms and a large shopping mall.
Oman’s first international-standard convention centre which represents a major investment by Omran, this will allow Muscat to become a regional destination serving the Mice sector, providing an additional boost to Oman’s fast-growing tourism industry.
Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, Minister of National Economy and deputy chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council, welcomed the impact the centre will have on the Omani economy, saying: “This facility will allow Oman to become a major new destination for conferences, exhibitions and other major business events. These will have a major impact on our economy in the future, creating many hundreds of jobs for Omanis and attracting hundreds of thousands of business travellers each year.”
Located just four kilometres from Muscat Airport, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre will act as a gateway to Muscat. Its landmark design will draw on Oman’s strong cultural heritage and architectural traditions, taking full advantage of the natural beauty of its surroundings.
State-of-the-art conference and exhibition facilities will be complemented by four hotels, including a five-star flagship property, two four-star hotels and a boutique three-star property.