Interview
Onwards and upwards in Oman
EW caught up with Said Al Shanfari , CEO of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre , who outlines positive momentum in Oman since the Sultanate hosted last year ’ s UFI Global Congress
O man ’ s hosting of last year ’ s UFI Global Congress certainly raised the country ’ s profile in the international events arena and the CEO of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre ( OCEC ), Said Al Shanfari , believes the Sultanate is now in a good position to kick on and win more business after the initial Covid recovery phase . Across the Middle East , says Al Shanfari , who is now chairman of UFI ’ s MENA region , big international events are being attracted . “ Look at Saudi Arabia , while Dubai delivered the Expo and is hosting the COP Summit and F1 ,” he notes .
“ My intention is to help create a bigger market for everyone , develop the human resources in the region and work on research and statistics that show investors and international organisers they can come to do business .”
So , what changes is Al Shanfari seeing ?
“ Hosting the UFI Congress gave us a position in the market . People now know where Oman is . We have had many contacts with people looking to collaborate and experiment with our market .”
Al Shanfari reports OCEC is closing the year with higher numbers than expected . “ We have passed the 2019 figures and seen an increase
Said Al Shanfari
of over 30 % compared with 2022 . We expect the 2024 figures to grow further and are already signing international events for next year . We have 7-8 contracted and another five or so in the pipeline . Typically these are in the medical , energy and environment sector .”
The CEO admits it is a competitive landscape but is confident in the Oman offer : “ Our centre is modern , has the right facilities , is close to the airport and has 2,000 hotel rooms within walking distance .
“ We aim to close the year on 220 events and have already passed 180 ,” he adds , and says 700,000 visitors have come through the OCEC doors already this year .
New hotel openings continue in Muscat , with a St Regis set to offer a further 300 rooms , while a JW Marriott has reopened offering 300 rooms at the 5-star end .
Al Shanfari is also expecting the airlift to increase in 2024 and is keen to stress the MICE sector lies at the heart of the Omani economy . “ It brings the right business investors and visitors and OCEC gives a platform to meet international business partners . It shows the seriousness with which we mean business in Oman . As we bring in more relevant shows , we create anchor events ,” he adds .
Sustainability is very much in focus for Al Shanfari who notes the design of the OCEC is Gold LEED certified .
“ We are working to increase renewable energy usage and adding 8,000 solar panels , which will help us to produce 2.5MW of power , some of which we will sell back to the grid ,” he explains . “ The government has aggressive plans for Oman to become zero carbon by 2050 . And we have two major shows concentrating on this very area – Green Hydrogen and Sustainable Week .”
OCEC is also involved in projects creating green landscaping and utilising food waste and a dedicated ‘ Green Team ’ at the venue is helping drive the sustainable agenda .
Al Shanfari is a keen champion of technology and believes AI can be harnessed to improve the service offer at OCEC .
“ Our website has virtual tours and we are working on a new registration system and on a new internal navigating system with indoor mapping and sensors . Through use of AI we are collecting better data on customers , finding out what they like / don ’ t like and how we can improve our services ,” he says .
And the team is already working on the next five year plan . “ Our focus is always on customers and how to create a partnership with them ,” concludes Al Shanfari . “ We are helping our government look at other venues and exploring how we can we add value in other cities .”
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