Less than a week after announcing that it had acquired control of ExCeL London, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has revealed the design proposal for a third venue as part of its strategy to develop a global network of international venues.

Simon Horgan, group chief executive of ADNEC, and Kevin Murphy, chief executive of ExCeL London, were both present to witness the unveiling of the $1 billion Al Ain Convention Centre and district, situated between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The Al Ain Convention Centre is being designed by an international team of master-planners, architects and engineers to create a thriving destination. Ten strategically located clusters are earmarked for the mixed-use development of hotels, residential and commercial low-rise towers, in a fully integrated development around the new convention centre & hotel and cultural centre.

“The Al Ain Convention Centre and district will fulfil a very important role within the ADNEC family of venues.” said Horgan. “On completion the conference centre and cultural centre will act as an economic engine for the peripheral land, driving up real estate values in the area. This is an attractive proposition to third-party developers, which will create the mixed-use destination surrounding the conference centre and the cultural centre. It is envisaged that specialist intellectual events will be attracted to Al Ain because of the new state-of-the-art facilities, the surrounding development, its proximity to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and not least, because of the area’s natural beauty and unique oasis environment.”

One hour from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Al Ain is a picturesque and low-rise city which is dominated by the imposing mountain of Jebel Hafit. Al Ain is recognised as a cultural capital of the United Arab Emirates and is known as ‘the garden city of the desert’, due to the fertile land, which comes from the natural oasis springs. The beautiful city has earned international awards for its landscape management and environmental sustainability.

“I continue to be impressed by the vision of the leadership of Abu Dhabi in facilitating ADNEC’s global strategy,” said ExCeL London’s Murphy. “The proposal for the Al Ain Convention Centre is remarkable and I look forward to ExCeL London playing its part in the promotion of the new centre to the millions of international visitors which attend events at ExCeL London each year. These are extremely exciting times for ADNEC, ExCeL London and for the international events industry.”

Work is scheduled to begin on the Al Ain Convention Centre later this year.