ALL EYES ON OMAN FOR THE WORLD’S LEADING FOOD INDUSTRY EXPERTS’ GATHERING IN 2016

ALL EYES ON OMAN FOR THE WORLD’S LEADING FOOD INDUSTRY EXPERTS’ GATHERING IN 2016

Pictured at yesterday’s signing (from left) IAOM MEA District Director Mr. Ali Habaj, IAOM MEA Chairman, Mr. Merzad Jamshidi, Omran Chairman, H.E. Nasser Al Jashmi and Omran CEO, Eng. Wael Al Lawati.More than 1,000 of the world’s top food industry professionals will descend upon the Sultanate of Oman when it hosts the 27th Annual International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) Mideast & Africa District Conference and Expo from 5-9 December 2016.

The IAOM MEA Congress at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre will attract decision makers from the multi-national companies that control the food supply along with a range of investors looking for new business opportunities.

The announcement was made yesterday at the official signing ceremony at Omran Head Office attended by Omran Chairman, H.E. Nasser Al Jashmi, Omran CEO, Eng. Wael Al Lawati, IAOM MEA Chairman, Mr. Merzad Jamshidi, IAOM MEA District Director Mr. Ali Habaj and Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre General Manager,Trevor McCartney.

His Excellency Nasser Al Jashmi said this announcement was significant milestone in the development stage of the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“We are delighted that the Sultanate of Oman has been selected to host such a prestigious convention which will be the first important conference to be hosted by Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre to coincide with its completion in 2016.” said H.E. Al Jashmi.

Mr. Habaj said the event was one of the largest specialised conference and exhibitions in the world.

“The Middle East and Africa are the largest buyers of grains and other food imports, accounting for about one-third of the production in the world today”.

He said the hot topic would be the sustainability of the food supply with Oman set to become the food hub for logistics and food processing in the Gulf region.

“IAOM MEA Conference & Expo is certainly one of the most anticipated events in the milling and food processing industries. For the last 25 years, it has become a venue for key industry players, decision makers, and top executives to broker next year’s commodity prices and deals.

“The Middle East and Africa’s annual volume of imports of major grains exceeds 84 million tonnes, which is estimated to be over US$ 29 Billion in value. This comprises 29% of global grain trade. (source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Many of these purchase contracts are negotiated during IAOM MEA events.

“This is serious business and we can’t wait for the completion of the new Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre so we can host a congress that is relevant to Oman at a state of the art venue.” Mr Habaj said.

Interestingly, IAOM MEA events have been purposely held alternately between the Middle East and Africa. This is to ensure IAOM MEA’s presence, and strengthen its ties with local millers throughout the region. Previous conferences were held in Tanzania, Turkey, South Africa, Jordan, Morocco, and the UAE.

Mr. Habaj commended venue manager, AEG Ogden for bringing the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre to the IAOM MEA’s attention two years ago.

Newly appointed General Manager for the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre Mr. Trevor McCartney said from the very first meeting, it was obvious that IAOM MEA with more than 150 exhibitors showing the latest in flour and feed milling machines was a perfect fit for the venue.

“Not only are we delighted to showcase Oman’s professionalism of organising prestigious events such as this, we look forward to welcoming participants to experience the traditional Omani hospitality during the congress and encourage them to then take the time to explore the country’s natural beauty and history.

“This is one of many major international conventions the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is targeting to secure in the lead up to its completion in 2016,” Mr. McCartney said.

The Government of Oman’s leading tourism infrastructure developer Omran which is charged with the development of this landmark project for the country, welcomed the signing.

Mr. Al Lawati said Omran was pleased with the level of interest generated from the pre-opening marketing activities by AEG Ogden and IAOM’s commitment to host their 2016 congress in the early stages of this landmark project for Oman.

About the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre
Due for completion in late 2016, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is located in its own fully integrated precinct only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport.

The design of the Centre will ensure a flow of the meetings space to suit the most discerning conference and exhibition organisers. It also incorporated expansive concourse areas to enable ease of large delegations with floor to ceiling windows overlooking landscaped gardens and water features.

The Centre will feature an elaborate tiered auditorium to seat 3,200 while the exhibition halls will feature 22,000 square metres of column-free exhibition space. Halls 1 and 2 will have a superior fit out, specialised acoustic treatment, advanced lighting and rigging requirements to act as a multi-purpose space for plenary sessions, concerts, performances, gala events on a larger scale of up to 10,000 seated, theatre-style.

The Centre will also include an additional 450-seat tiered theatre, 13 meeting rooms for 70-360 delegates, two well-appointed ballrooms to seat up to 2,360, VIP Pavilion, a spacious food-court and a multi-storey carpark with capacity for 4,000 vehicles.

The Precinct will provide the infrastructure necessary to host successful international, regional and local events and for the enjoyment of the community. These include a five star hotel linked to the convention centre, two four star, and a three star hotel and apartments with a combined total of 1,000 rooms. A business park, retail shopping mall surrounded by a nature reserve which will be a haven for Oman’s exotic birdlife, parklands and wadi (valley) park are also part of this picturesque precinct. www.omanconvention.com

OMAN EXPLORES USA FOR CONVENTION OPPORTUNITIES

OMAN EXPLORES USA FOR CONVENTION OPPORTUNITIES
Oman’s standing as a new, emerging destination for international business events was explored at the recent IMEX America convention and meetings industry tradeshow.

An Omani delegation lead by the country’s government-mandated organisation, Omran, which oversees the development of significant tourism infrastructure projects attended the event to ensure the country’s readiness leading up to the completion of its cornerstone project, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2016.

Omran CEO, Mr. Wael Al Lawati, said the objective of the visit was to understand the globalisation strategies of international organisations based in North America, determine how Oman can be part of this and also meet with other countries to share their experiences.

Since its debut into the North American market last year, IMEX America has recorded a 30% growth in exhibitor participation from 140 countries and 2,400 hosted buyers in attendance in 2012.

“Our venue operator, AEG Ogden co-ordinated meetings with the executives of the peak convention industry bodies to learn and understand what are the essential elements and services required to win the confidence of the North American meeting planners to choose Oman and implement a strategy to support our capacity building.

“Whilst it is important to have all the infrastructure in place, it is also essential that the Omani community are fully prepared to offer the level of services that is required to host world-class events.

“It is no use building international-standard venues, resorts and hotels if we do not fully understand the exact needs of these key decision makers and have the ability to entice their participants to attend and stay a few extra days to explore Oman’s natural beauty and diversity. Omran is focused on developing environmentally sustainable projects, to ensure that every person leaves our shores with the desire to return again and again with their family and friends,” Mr Al Lawati said.

He said the visit was also significant, given the historical treaty of friendship and trade that was signed between the Sultanate of Oman and the United States in 1833.

“Here we are, almost 180 years later, introducing Oman to the US as a new, but significant business events destination,” he said.

Accompanying Mr Al Lawati were Ambassador Richard Baltimore, an advisor to the Board and former US Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman and Ms Rochelle Uechtritz, Group Manager, Convention Sales Development with AEG Ogden.

Ms Uechtritz said about 23 percent of international associations were headquartered in North America and given the already strong trade partnerships between the two nations, it was only fitting to expand on these relations by attracting international conventions.

“Omanis have been actively involved in international and regional associations for decades and have been asked to host many of the world’s most prestigious congresses, however that has not been possible until the development of the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre,” she said.

While in the US, Ms Uechtritz also participated in the annual two-day Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Global Professional Conference aimed at creating stronger awareness and knowledge of Oman to more than 40 international meeting planners.

About the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre
Strategically positioned in the Sultanate’s capital city of Muscat, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre is located only four kilometres from Muscat International Airport and is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The design of the Centre will ensure a flow of the meetings space to suit the most discerning conference and exhibition organisers. It also incorporated expansive concourse areas to enable ease of large delegations with floor to ceiling windows overlooking landscaped gardens and water features.

The Centre will feature an elaborate tiered auditorium to seat 3,200 while the exhibition halls will feature 22,000 square metres of column-free exhibition space. Halls 1 and 2 will have a superior fit out, specialised acoustic treatment, advanced lighting and rigging requirements to act as a multi-purpose space for plenary sessions, concerts, performances, gala events on a larger scale of up to 10,000 seated, theatre-style.

The Centre will also include an additional 14 meeting rooms for 70-360 delegates, two well-appointed ballrooms to seat up to 2,360, VIP Pavilion, a spacious food-court and a multi-storey carpark with capacity for 4,000 vehicles.

The Precinct will provide the infrastructure necessary to host successful international, regional and local events and for the enjoyment of the community. These include a five star hotel linked to the convention centre, two four star, and a three star hotel and apartments with a combined total of 1,000 rooms. A business park and retail shopping mall surrounded by parklands overlooking a Wadi (valley) and elevated sea views are also part of this picturesque precinct. http://www.omanconvention.com

About AEG Ogden
AEG Ogden is a joint venture between Australian interests and AEG Facilities of the United States. AEG Ogden manages venues throughout the Asia Pacific region, including the Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur and Qatar convention centres and the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (under construction), Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, five live theatres including Perth’s His Majesty’s Theatre, the Perth Concert Hall and Subiaco Arts Centre, and a network of arenas including Sydney’s Allphones Arena, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, and the Perth Arena (currently under construction). http://www.aegogden.com

AEG, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with 100 of the industry’s pre-eminent venues worldwide, across five continents, and works in concert with affiliated AEG entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Development to support the success of AEG venues across the globe. AEG owns, operates or provides services to venues including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.), Nokia Theatre L.A. Live (Los Angeles, Calif.), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.), Valley View Casino Center, (San Diego, Calif); Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), XL Center and Rentschler Field (Hartford, Conn) The Rose Garden (Portland, Ore.), KeyArena (Seattle, Wash.), KFC YUM! Center (Louisville, Ky.), American Airlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), AT&T Center (San Antonio, Tx.), Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, N.C.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MastercardCenter (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), O2 World (Berlin, Germany), O2 World Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Pernambuco Stadium (Recife, Brazil), Allphones Arena, (Sydney Aust), Globe Arenas (Stockholm, Sweden), Turk Telekom Arena (Istanbul, Turkey) and the Qatar National Convention Centre (Doha, Qatar). For more information, visit http://www.aegworldwide.com.

For more information contact:
Rochelle Uechtritz
AEG Ogden Group Manager, Convention Sales Development
E: ruechtritz@aegogden.com | M: +61 400253392 | +968 9221 3154