Inaugural Middle East Association Congress Kicks Off at ADNEC

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 05 April, 2016 – The inaugural edition of Middle East Association Congress (MEAC) kicked off at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) today converging leading regional and international association leaders and experts.

Held under the slogan “Creating Opportunities, Associations and Beyond”, the event includes a number of panel sessions, education seminars and networking opportunities, drawing a strong participation by association leaders from the GCC, Middle East, America and Europe.

MEAC is designed to provide an international platform for association leaders, leaders of chapters of global associations and industry partners to share knowledge and information on opportunities to enhance the profile of the association sector in the region. The event is organised by CIMGlobal, the organiser of many major association congresses in the South Asian region and supported by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau (Abu Dhabi – CB).

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Acting Group CEO of ADNEC, said: “ADNEC is delighted to host the first edition of MEAC that supports our strategy to increase the number of association conferences coming to the emirate. In addition to promoting the emirate’s burgeoning MICE credentials, in participating in the event, we also seek to network with key decision makers in the global association industry. The event also provides us with a unique platform to showcase Abu Dhabi’s advanced conference and meetings event facilities to the global influencers attending the event,” he added. 

Addressing the event, Khalifa Al Qubaisi, Head of Sales - Conferences at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) and Chairperson of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) - Middle East chapter, said: “We are delighted to see yet another major event being created to cater to the growing associations members in the Middle East, supporting our continued efforts to attract more international conferences and congresses to the region.”

ADNEC is hosting MEAC in line with its new strategy to promote the specialised conferences and association sector due to its significant impact on the economy, while boosting Abu Dhabi’s growing reputation as the knowledge capital of the UAE.

International association leaders and experts from the industry are hosting sessions to impart global best practices to audiences. The event is strongly supported by the global industry organizations in the association’s community, including the American Society of Association Executives creating a platform of knowledge for the association community in the region to benefit from.

ADNEC offers 133,000 sq m of inter-connected floor space to match the expectations of a wide variety of events and exhibitions. Equipped with modern facilities and built to international standards, the venue attracted 1.8 million people across 369 events in 2015.