Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has been named a finalist for the International Conference and Convention Association’s (ICCA) Best PR Award, marking the first time a company from the Middle East has been selected for the prestigious industry distinction.

Of the 11 convention centres that were globally nominated, four exhibition companies were shortlisted to win the respected prize, which is sponsored by International Meetings Review (IMR). ADNEC is now set to compete with three of the top global exhibition companies, including German Convention Bureau (GCB), Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Wonderful Copenhagen Convention Bureau.

ADNEC has been shortlisted for its commitment to creativity and high level execution of communications campaigns during 2014. Of particular note, was ADNEC’s campaign to reinforce the importance and success of its investment in ExCeL London to a local audience.

The ICCA evaluation team looked for strong storytelling, high-visibility coverage, brand consistency for PR that helps to overcome a crisis, and for PR that showcases success, covering both traditional print and web/social media channels.

To mark the five year anniversary of the acquisition, ADNEC took a number of local journalists to London to learn more about the importance of its investment in the former Olympic venue. ADNEC also highlighted through the tour how its investment in ExCeL London continues to pay returns to Abu Dhabi, both financially and professionally. The press trip to London was a huge success, generating coverage equivalent to more than AED21.9 million in advertising value in less than one week.

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Acting Group CEO of ADNEC, said: “This nomination is an extension of ADNEC’s ongoing success, driven by our commitment to establish Abu Dhabi as a leader in the regional MICE landscape. Our efforts are underpinned by an excellent and dedicated team. The ICCA Best PR Award is indeed a coveted one as members do not nominate themselves. The Award recognises exceptional PR performance by ICCA members, who represent over 125 countries, and we would like to congratulate all the finalists for their remarkable achievements.”

Furthermore, ADNEC’s performance has surpassed previous years in the value of media coverage secured so far in 2014. Local media coverage reached AED197.6 million at the end of Q3 2014, exceeding coverage value expectations by 70%. Internationally, media coverage peaked to AED81.7 million, exceeding expectations by 43%.

ADNEC aims to showcase the unique value proposition offered by the UAE capital through collaboration with other national institutions including Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Abu Dhabi Conventions Bureau. Abu Dhabi’s rise up the ICCA rankings from 234th on the global list, to within and around the top 100 today, reflects the emirate’s strong and steady growth across verticals.

Last week, ADNEC was chosen to host the 24th edition of the World Energy Congress in 2019, following the success of Abu Dhabi’s bid to stage the global event.

The finalists for the ICCA award will present their PR Strategy at the ‘PR Excellence – Learning from the best’ session at the ICCA Congress in Antalya, Turkey, scheduled for 4 November from 2pm to 3.30pm. The winner will be announced during the Closing Ceremony in Antalya. 

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