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committees. The exhibitions remain independently branded and managed, while maximising the benefits of co-location.
“ The co-location,” says Roberts,“ also reflects the realities of the energy transition. The traditional hydrocarbon sector remains essential to funding, enabling and scaling the technologies required to make renewable energy commercially viable. At the same time, Oman Sustainability Week extends well beyond energy, encompassing water, waste, environmental protection and the circular economy.”
These events also reflect Oman’ s evolving national priorities and create a powerful, interconnected platform for conventional energy, emerging technologies and sustainable development.”
Roberts is also keen to stress that CONNECT’ s growth has been built on people, being a relatively small organisation.“ Every individual can materially influence our performance, culture and customer experience.
“ We have invested in strengthening the leadership team, recruiting specialist talent and creating clearer development pathways for existing employees. This includes structured learning and development, professional qualifications, international industry
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exposure, mentoring, regular performance conversations and opportunities for employees to take ownership beyond their formal roles.
“ We have also worked hard to create a culture in which people feel heard. Our town halls, one-to-one meetings, employee recognition
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Left: ODBW Expo 2026
Top left: OSW & OPES Concourse 2026
Middle left: ODBW Conference 2026
Bottom left: OPES & OSW Inauguration 2026
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programmes and direct channels for sharing ideas all support greater openness and accountability.”
Roberts adds that, in his view, the clearest measure of progress is employee sentiment:“ Our Great Place to Work certification score increased from 74 % in 2025 to 88 % in 2026. That matters enormously. Strong financial results and award-winning exhibitions are only sustainable when the people delivering them feel valued, trusted and able to grow.”
CONNECT has posted 15 % revenue growth over the past two years and, since exhibitions resumed in Oman in 2022, CONNECT has delivered record financial performances in 2022, 2024 and 2025.“ Based on the performance of our second-quarter exhibitions alone, we are already on course to surpass the 2025 result in 2026,” says Roberts, who believes performance is not simply the result of a post-pandemic rebound.“ The business has moved beyond recovery and entered a sustained period of growth. Our exhibitions are larger, more commercially developed and increasingly aligned with Oman’ s economic priorities, while our strategy continues to evolve in response to the needs of government, industry and our customers.”
The recent regional conflict has, nevertheless created significant challenges. During the first half of 2026, Robert notes the company experienced more than £ 680,000 in cancellations, including approximately £ 511,000 relating to OPES. International participation, travel confidence and the speed of customer decision-making were all affected, he acknowledges. Despite this disruption, OPES still achieved year-on-year revenue growth, and CONNECT remains on course to deliver another record year, which Robert says“ demonstrates the underlying strength and relevance of our exhibitions, the loyalty of our customers and stakeholders, and, above all, the resilience, agility and determination of our team”. EW
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www. exhibitionworld. co. uk |
Issue 5 2026 35 |