Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center Records Phenomenal Growth

Online, March 12, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre (RICEC), which is owned and operated by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is expecting a hundred per cent rise in the number of shows it has contracted to host this year as against 2010.

Besides, sensing the requirements of the fast-growing economy of the country, RICEC has devised plans to upgrade and expand facilities at the Centre in a big way.

The Centre's blueprint for development includes a four-star hotel, a business club, additional indoor exhibition space, and more storage facilities. These expansion plans will be carried out in a phased manner as part of its five and 10-year plans.

"Relatively speaking, we are a new entrant in the market... since we opened doors only in March 2009. But our calendar of events has seen an exceptional growth. This speaks volumes about the positive impact we have had on the regional MICE sector in such a short span of time," said RICEC CEO Mr. Abdullah Al Omran.

"It's not just the number of shows that has gone up... but the sectors that we cover too have increased. The shows we hosted in the past couple of years and those we are going to host this year represent diversified sectors," said Mr Al Omran, who has been instrumental in the development of RICEC.

"Some of the shows that we will host this year will be from sectors such as construction, healthcare, education, travel & tourism, jewellery, ICT, safety, automobile, plastics, and media, among others," he said.

"In not so distant future we have a plan to co-organize some strategic events where we can add better value for the participants. The sectors where we feel we can add value include energy, homeland security, education, hospitality and healthcare," he said.

Growth prospects for RICEC also look positive as the Centre aims to leverage on the fact that Riyadh will host third of the total exhibitions approved to take place in the country. This year, the Ministry of Commerce has issued 187 licences for exhibitions to be held in Riyadh as against last year's 125.

"Strategically speaking, there are several advantages in store for exhibitors at RICEC. We are located close to several ministries and this proximity is sure to draw the attention of government and institutional buyers in good numbers. Besides, the chosen sectors are significant to the Saudi economy in many ways and this is set to act as a catalyst to boost the transaction between exhibitors and their target buyers," said Mr Al Omran.

Elaborating on the development plans of the Centre, Mr Al Omran said the proposed four-star hotel will have 250 rooms, and it will become an integral part of RICEC's operations.

Apart from the hotel, the Centre is planning to set up a club that will be the meeting place for business people, additional 10,000 square metres of indoor exhibition space in different sizes, more storage, offices and restaurant facilities.

"Our large scale events are already demanding more space and the hotel will be highly convenient for exhibitors as well as visitors," Mr Al Omran said.

"We are also planning to offer more value to our show organisers and participants. In this regard, we are in talks with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events ("IAEE") to introduce professional education in the field of Event Management," said Mr Al Omran.

Speaking about the venue, Mr Al Omran said that RICEC is fully equipped to meet the requirements of exhibitors and modern day events. The Center can boast of nearly 189,000 square metres (2,034,379 square feet) of total land area, a convention centre, a VIP lounge, press and business centres, fully equipped meeting rooms, underground and open parking spaces for 1,500 cars, restaurants, cafes and warehousing facilities.

The adaptability of the venue is evident in the high ceiling and column-free floor space of 15,000 square metres and about 5,000 square metres of outdoor exhibition space.

"As a temporary measure, in case of demand for extra space we have provision for setting up makeshift halls," said Mr Al Omran.

"All these attributes make it one of the best and largest venues in the Kingdom that can host events and functions of any magnitude," added Mr Al Omran.

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