Timeframe: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre brings industries and communities together

From conferences to concerts, the venue is a vital contributor to the UAE’s business and cultural landscape

Adnec in Abu Dhabi has become a business and cultural centre. Antonie Robertson / The National

From Welsh crooner Tom Jones, to military-grade tanks and majestic falcons, the stars who have appeared at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) are eclectic to say the least.

The city’s premiere events venue is making headlines again this week as it hosts the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex 2023), the region’s biggest arms and defence technology sales exhibition.

See images of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's visit to Idex

This comes on the back of a host of events ranging from the International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (Adihex), the international get-together of educators Najah Abu Dhabi and the oil exhibition and conference Adipec.

The business events will soon make way for a legion of superstar actors and fans dressed in their favourite superhero costumes as part of the Middle East Film and Comic Con from March 3 to 5.

Such an eclectic calendar is the point.

Ever since opening in 2005, Adnec has fulfilled its promise of being a state-of-the-art centre, catering to events big and small.

From conferences to concerts, it has brought some of the world’s leading thinkers and pop stars to Abu Dhabi, while forming a meeting point for UAE residents.

That growth has been rapid.

Adnec staged just 14 events in its first year, but in 2010 hosted 119, as previously reported in The National.

According to its 2019 annual report, it staged a record number of 496 events, comprising 235 conferences and 11 exhibitions attended by more than 2.3 million people.

While many events are generally industry specific, the venue's biggest impact was arguably its pivotal role in Abu Dhabi’s response to the pandemic.

In 2020 it was transformed by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi into a state-of-the-art field hospital treating Covid-19 patients free of charge.

The 31,000-square-metre space had 1,000 beds staffed by 150 medics.

Adnec also led the recovery of Abu Dhabi’s events and cultural sector in the wake of the pandemic in 2021 by hosting occasions such as VidCon, the Emirates Skills National Competition and the UAE Muaythai Championship successfully under health and safety measures.

With plenty of events yet to come, including hundreds of authors and publishers for the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair in May, the next chapter of this remarkable venue looks as bright as ever.

The 2022 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair - in pictures