Annual Report 2016 - English

ADNEC AT A GLANCE

Acronyms used within this annual report

ADCB Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau

ADIPEC Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference

ADNEC Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company

ADSG Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group

EHSMS Environment, Health and Safety Management system

IAPCO International Association of Professional Congress Organisers

ICCA International Congress and Convention Association

IDEX International Defence Exhibition and Conference

MICE Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions

SPWLA Society of Petro-physicists and Well Log Analysts

TCA Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority of Abu Dhabi

UFI The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry

WFES World Future Energy Summit

KM Knowledge Management

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRWOMAN

Over the past years, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has worked hard to translate its mandate to promote business tourism in Abu Dhabi into a meaningful contribution to the emirate’s economic diversification and non-oil GDP growth.

The company has grown well beyond the confines of the local economy to become a truly global destination vying with wellestablished international venues to attract leading global events and conferences.

In our drive to consolidate the emirate’s status as the event destination of choice, we have built state-of-the-art infrastructure and world-class facilities, and provided seamless connectivity with all parts of the world.

Owing to the unwavering support of the Abu Dhabi leadership, we have made great strides in the development of the emirate’s business tourism sector.

Our accomplishments over the past years are the result of our fruitful collaboration with our strategic partners and industry associations.

In our rapidly evolving domain, every year brings its challenges, and 2016 was no exception. However, our ability to build a diverse portfolio of events has helped us turn these challenges into opportunities.

ADNEC has developed a longstanding reputation for offering superior facilities and services. We continually seek innovative and creative ways to meet the dynamic needs of our clients and add significant value to their exhibitions and conferences.

We remain committed to maintaining our forward momentum through focusing on events within the strategic sectors identified in the Abu Dhabi Plan and its Economic Vision 2030.

As we continue into 2017, I take this opportunity to thank our leadership, strategic partners and industry associations for their sustained support of our efforts to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as the capital of business tourism in the region.

I am truly proud of our passion for excellence that is deeply embedded in our company culture, and has been an integral part of our success.

I also have the deepest appreciation for the enthusiasm of our employees and their dedication to delivering outstanding services that help us exceed the expectations of exhibitors, event organisers and visitors, and continually enhance their experience.

A special thank-you to our Marketing and Public Relations department for compiling this report that outlines our achievements and progress in our core business areas over the past year.

NOURA MOHAMMED HELAL AL KAABI Chairwoman

MESSAGE FROM THE GCEO

2016 was a landmark year for ADNEC that saw the company attract a wide spectrum of new events to Abu Dhabi.

We worked in perfect harmony with the objective of the Abu Dhabi Plan and its Economic Vision 2030 to boost non-oilrelated sectors, achieving an economic impact of AED3 billion.

With an unwavering dedication to driving the growth of the crucially important business tourism sector in Abu Dhabi, we continued to offer our clients unparalleled services and best-in-class event space to meet their rapidly evolving requirements.

Despite a variety of challenges and increased competition from other major regional and global destinations, our venues welcomed 1.5 million visitors across 480 local and international events.

With a long-term commitment to innovation and sustainable development, we continued our sustainability programme that yielded significant

benefits through adopting energyefficient systems and promoting rationalised use of resources.

One area that had the greatest impact on our revenues last year was the conference and congress sector, with the total number of conferences organised at our venues increasing by five per cent to 22.

In addition, we won the hosting rights to 12 new conferences including several high-profile international events that will take place in Abu Dhabi for the first time.

Our business is inextricably linked to the priority of the Abu Dhabi government to ensure social stability and prosperity for all citizens through creating new job opportunities and supporting Emiratisation initiatives. Towards end-2016, we achieved 60 per cent Emiratisation, up from 55 per cent in 2015.

We are especially proud that Emiratis now hold 82 per cent of our senior management positions.

HUMAID MATAR AL DHAHERI Group Chief Executive Officer

ADNEC’s contribution to the economic development of Abu Dhabi has drawn global attention. The latest society perception survey, conducted by an independent global information and measurement firm, showed that the reputation of the company among the emirate’s residents reached an all-time high in 2016.

Going forward, we will concentrate our energies on building a diversified portfolio of events that delivers long-term value to our stakeholders.

I am confident we will continue to play a key role in fulfilling the collective vision of our government to build a highly diversified economy that supports sustainable economic development of our nation.

With the ongoing support of our leadership, strategic partners and employees, our group is on the right track to explore new ways of achieving continued growth in 2017 and beyond.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Her Excellency NOURA MOHAMMED HELAL AL KAABI Chairwoman

His Excellency

SAIF SAEED AHMED GHOBASH Board Member

DR. YOUSIF AL SHERYANI Board Member

His Excellency MOHAMMED NAJM AL QUBAISI Board Member

ALI MURSHED AL MARAR Board Member

DR. OMNIYAT MOHAMMED AL HAJERI Board Member

HAREB MUBARAK ABDULLAH AL MUHAIRI Board Member

MANAGEMENT TEAM

HUMAID MATAR AL DHAHERI Group Chief Executive Officer

MIKE HENDERSON Group Chief Strategy and Finance Officer

SALAH AL JAEEDI Chief Financial Officer

AHMED AL OBAIDLI Chief Operations Officer (Acting)

KHALIFA AL QUBAISI Chief Commercial Officer (Acting)

ADNEC GROUP

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company is playing a vital role in the Emirate’s ambition to become a leading destination for business meetings and events.

The Group is made up of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Al Ain Convention Centre, ExCeL London, Capital Gate, Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel, Aloft Abu Dhabi, Aloft London ExCeL, IDEX LLC and ADNEC Services LLC.

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre is a multi-award winning venue offering organisers of exhibitions, conferences and live events a total space of 133,000 square metres. This incorporates two large conference halls that can seat 1,400 people combined, 20 meeting rooms, 11 halls, a purposebuilt banquet facility that can seat 700 people in a dinner setting and a multi-functional 7,920 square metres, 6,000 seat conference centre facility.

The venue also boasts a range of restaurants, cafés, shops, on-site hotels and business facilities as well as outdoor event spaces and the stunning Waterfront Quayside.

Al Ain Convention Centre

Al Ain Convention Centre provides the city of Al Ain with an exceptional venue for exhibitions, conferences, weddings and other special events.

It is built in a unique architectural style that is in harmony with the city’s existing architecture with a marquee-style roof. It offers combined (indoor and outdoor) event space of 20,000 square metres.

ExCeL London

ExCeL London, London’s largest international exhibition and convention centre, was acquired by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company in 2008.

It sits on a 100-acre campus alongside Royal Victoria Dock in London’s Docklands and has hosted a variety of events including the 2012 London Olympics. The venue offers 100,000 square metres of multi-purpose, flexible event space, including the Capital’s only International Convention Centre; ICC London.

ICC London includes the UK’s largest fully-flexible auditorium for up to 5,000 delegates. There’s also London’s largest banqueting hall for up to 3,000 guests and a conference suite comprising 17 individual meeting rooms, suitable for anything from 50 to 1,200 delegates.

HYATT CAPITAL GATE HOTEL - ABU DHABI

Located in the iconic Capital Gate tower, the five star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel provides 189 rooms and unsurpassed views of the city and coastline. It was the first Hyatt hotel in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The on-site hotel supports Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre’s business tourism needs.

ALOFT LONDON EXCEL

In 2011, ExCeL London opened the UK’s first Starwood Aloft hotel. Aloft London ExCeL was built by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company and is linked to the ICC London ExCeL.

The four-star, 252 room hotel is located right next to the Prince Regent DLR station and is just minutes away from London City Airport, Canary Wharf, and from the O2 Arena on the new Emirates Air Line cable car.

ALOFT ABU DHABI HOTEL

Owned by ADNEC and operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Aloft Abu Dhabi is the largest Aloft hotel in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

The four star hotel offers 408 rooms over 12-storeys and is interconnected to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

CAPITAL GATE

Owned and developed by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company, Capital Gate is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s furthest leaning Man-made tower. It was built to lean 18 degrees and is the ultimate business address in the UAE capital. With far reaching views across Abu Dhabi and the Arabian gulf, the gravity defying tower accommodates approximately 15,000 square metres of exclusive office space, as well as the five star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel.

IDEX LLC

First held in 1993, IDEX is the largest tri-service defence exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

IDEX takes place biennially, and is organised by Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company in association with the UAE Armed Forces GHQ.

IDEX also features the Naval Defence Exhibition and Conference (NAVDEX), that showcases naval defence systems and maritime security equipment.

ADNEC also organises the Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference (UMEX) which showcases a wide range of applications for unmanned vehicles in a range of military and civilian applications as well as the Simulation Exhibition and Conference (SimTEX).

ADNEC SERVICES LLC

ADNEC Services LLC. launched in 2015, a fully integrated business unit of ADNEC offering a dedicated single point of contact for organisers, exhibitors, and retailers for setting up, connecting and activating stands, exhibitions and other conference spaces within ADNEC venues which can be delivered seamlessly within an overall one-stop approach.

CAPITAL HOSPITALITY

Capital Hospitality, part of ADNEC Services LLC, was launched in 2015 to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences which combines international and local knowledge to produce a 5-star hospitality service offering that is second-to-none.

OUR VISION, MISSION & VALUES

ADNEC’s strength comes from championing and implementing its vision and goals across the whole company. ADNEC has four core company values which all ADNEC employees are empowered to uphold and bring to life. These four values shape the culture of ADNEC.

VISION

To become the leading events destination for renowned international exhibitions and conferences in the MENA region.

MISSION

To increase business tourism for Abu Dhabi through creating a platform that enables event organizers to realize their goals of connecting people via world-class events and venues and delivering best-in-class services to exceed stakeholder expectations.

VALUES

Our four values shape the culture of our company and guide us in everything we do. They steer our behaviours and inspire work accountability.

WORK TOGETHER

WE partner with stakeholders, we value their opinions and work with them as one team

WE act with integrity and value all our employees and stakeholders

WE share information to enable knowledgeable business decisions

WE enable our employees and equip them with a motivating working environment, opportunities, a rewarding professional experience and respect

STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE

WE aim for perfection

WE are committed to growing our business and exceeding stakeholders expectations

WE believe in continuous improvement

WE aim to lead the region and be the “choice”

CREATIVE & INNOVATIVE

WE encourage and adopt creative thinking

WE support innovative and creative ideas

WE reward creativity

WE find solutions and welcome suggestions

WE are agile and flexible

WE take informed risks and champion new ideas

PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO

WE put our heart into it

WE are committed and dedicated

WE enjoy and have fun at what we do

WE make people happy

WE exceed expectations and delight stakeholders

WE are self-motivated

WE believe in sustainable growth and Emiratisation

STRATEGY

We contribute to the Emirate’s economic diversity by hosting and developing international and local events at our premises and venues and we aim to increase the number of international and regional visitors attending these events.

To do so, we partner and collaborate with different stakeholders and partners both locally and internationally. Stakeholders are defined as all those who are, directly or indirectly, associated, affect or are affected by our activities.

For example, at local level ADNEC works closely with Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, while internationally we partner with renowned organisers for organising and developing international exhibitions and congresses.

The below diagram describes ADNEC’s value chain and the key activities as per our business model. It is clear from this diagram that our key stakeholders are:

A Abu Dhabi Government

A Organisers and professional congresses organisers (PCOs)

A Exhibitors

A Visitors

A Service partners and suppliers

A Local community

A Logistics, hotel operators, event patrons, employees, and others

ADNEC VALUE CHAIN AND BUSINESS MODEL DIAGRAM

Abu Dhabi Government

Board of Directors Support

Tourism & Culture Authority, Executive Council, Department of Finance, Crown Prince Court, Abu Dhabi Municipality, AIAin Municipality, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADM), General Headquarter, Central Intelligence Department

Logistics

Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Transport Providers (ETIHAD AIRWAYS)

Events Patrons

Events Patrons Local Community

Enablers Hotel Operators Service Partners

ADNEC STAKEHOLDERS

Abu Dhabi Government

Tourism & Culture Authority, Executive Council, Department of Finance, Crown Prince Court, Abu Dhabi Municipality, AIAin Municipality, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADM), General Headquarter, Central Intelligence Department

Board of Directors Office Tenant Hotel Operators Employees Service Partners

of Transport, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Transport Providers

ECONOMIC IMPACT

As a public joint stock company owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, ADNEC plays an essential role in helping the Emirate achieve its long term goals of economic growth and diversification. Through a series of world class exhibitions, conventions and events, ADNEC assists in growing the business tourism (MICE sector) and generating non-oil related economic impact.

The key metric used to measure ADNEC’s economic impact is the Gross Value Added (GVA) which is equivalent to GDP adjusted for taxes and subsidies.

ADNEC’s core business is staging international exhibitions and conferences, in addition to providing planning support for event organisers. ADNEC also generates revenues from a number of ancillary sources, including catering, leasing of retail units and serviced offices across its venues and premises.

The economic impact calculation depends on key variables and parameters like number of visitors, type (domestic and international), length of stay, average spend, services and goods involved, hotels and airlines etc. The model considers various types of affected sectors like wholesale, retail trade, repairing services, restaurants and hotels, transport, storage and communication.

As shown in the chart, ADNEC’s Gross Value Added (GVA) has improved and increased during the last 5 years, benefiting from the growth in hosted international events like IDEX, ADIPEC, SIAL and many others.

For the year 2016, ADNEC hosted 480 events with an increase of 111 events over 2015

Other parameters that we also measure as part of our economic impact formula is the number of jobs supported in the UAE, hotel room nights generated through our hosted international exhibitions and conferences and the economic output generated.

For 2016, room nights generated increased by 6,305 to reach 528,639 in 2016 (in 2015 it was 522,334) and ADNEC’s activities supported 16,844 jobs within the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

522,334

2015 2016

528,639

For 2016, ADNEC’s activities supported 16,844 jobs within the emirate of Abu Dhabi

ADNEC’s Impact on Hotel room nights

EXCELLENCE

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has launched its annual Internal Excellence Awards as part of sustained efforts to promote a healthy spirit of competition, elevate departmental excellence and improve overall organisational efficiency.

Named ‘Capital Excellence Awards’, the annual recognition will reinforce ADNEC’s commitment towards achieving its vision and delivering outstanding customer service to stakeholders in the business tourism industry.

The Capital Excellence Awards support the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance (ADAEP) that aims to motivate government entities to improve their performance and internal work mechanisms.

It also seeks to raise awareness among employees about the importance of excellence, quality, transparency and accountability as core criteria in creating an enabling work environment and encouraging a healthy spirit of competition among various sectors and departments.

Internal excellence is crucial to shaping an environment that promotes creativity, innovation and excellence in the delivery of services provided to our customers.

The launch of the Capital Excellence Awards and its expanded categories will serve as an added incentive for our departments, teams, and employees in their continued quest for performance excellence.

Developed in line with international best practices, the Capital Excellence Awards include a set of standards that go hand-in-hand with the core business mandate of ADNEC and its various departments. In addition, it seeks to promote the exchange of knowledge, expertise and success stories in management practices among various departments.

ADNEC is confident that the new Internal Excellence Award will serve as a benchmark of guidelines and standards to measure progress and development in departmental performance, and contribute to enhancing the overall efficiency of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. The Award will support the development programmes and strategic direction of the company, allowing internal work teams and individuals to adopt a culture of excellence to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders.

The evaluation of departments, projects, teams and employees will be conducted by accredited external consultants. Following the completion of the evaluation process, each department will receive an assessment report on its performance detailing the strengths and areas for improvement for the department to improve its performance based on the findings of the report. The Internal Excellence Awards have been divided into four main categories to cover various activities and aspects of ADNEC’s core business.

They include excellent management, excellent project, excellent team, and excellent employee. The award for excellent management aims to adopt best practices in the management of departments within ADNEC - regardless of their size, or whether they perform core functions

or supporting ones.What matters is that the department must ensure a framework for excellence to encourage the development and exchange of best practices with other departments to help shape a common understanding and approach towards excellence.

The excellent project award, on the other hand, aims to leverage best practices in project management at ADNEC, irrespective of project size and difficulty.

The recognition articulates ADNEC’s priority to promote excellence as an integral part of project management, leading to a shared vision among all ADNEC departments in achieving excellence in project management.

The excellent employee award is aimed at increasing productivity among the company staff, boosting their morale and loyalty to the company, while encouraging a healthy spirit of competition among the teams through establishing best practice standards for performance excellence.

The Capital Excellence Awards are a practical framework for self-assessment, allowing ADNEC to evaluate the performance and practices of employees in leadership, supervisory and nonsupervisory roles.

Regardless of the nature of the work of each individual, the Awards create a framework for excellence and the exchange of expertise among all employees - who are the key drivers of ADNEC’s continued pursuit of excellence.

ADNEC HONOURS WINNERS OF THE CAPITAL AWARDS 2016

ADNEC hosted an event to honour the winners of the 2016 edition of its bi-annual Internal Excellence Programme, “the Capital Awards”.

Winners were awarded for their commitment and excellence in their dedicated areas of expertise by H.E, Noura Mohammad Hilal Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, and Chairwoman of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company and Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, ADNEC GCEO at a special ceremony held at ADNEC today.

ADNEC launched its Internal Excellence Awards in late 2014 and totally revamped the program in June 2016 as part of sustained efforts to adopt and instill a culture of excellence, boost performance and exceed stakeholder’s expectations.

GROUP HIGHLIGHTS

ADNEC GROUP HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE

Customer satisfaction reached 93% in 2016, an increase of 3% compare to 2015

Al Ain Convention Centre launched new conference and meeting facilities to attract more national and international conferences, summits and exhibitions

ADNEC has furthered its comprehensive group portfolio to enhance the catering services with the introduction of Capital Hospitality

ADNEC topped the list of government entities that promote the emirate of Abu Dhabi

ADNEC secured twelve new international congresses In 2016

ADNEC hosted 22 associations (conferences) in 2016

ExCeL London welcomed more than Three Million visitors in 2016

GROUP HIGHLIGHTS

UMEX

UMEX 2016, which includes the first Simulation Exhibition and Conference (SimTEX) under its umbrella, is the only exhibition of its kind in the region dedicated to unmanned systems and technologies used in air, land and marine operations.

UMEX 2016 was part of the inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week (ADAAW), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Visitors engaged with 35 local and international exhibitors. A major highlight of UMEX was the live flying demonstrations that took place over two days at Tarif in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

Inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of the Abu

aircraft took part in the live show including:

SimTEX

Simulation & Training Exhibition and Conference (SimTEX) is the MENA region’s only exhibition and conference dedicated to simulation and training where industry professionals gather to share knowledge and connect to share the latest innovations. SimTEX provides a platform to connect with like-minded professional and the opportunity to explore future technologies.

SimTEX is the region’s leading unmanned systems exhibition, providing a professional platform for manufacturers to meet operators and establish business relationships while promoting the military, environmental, civil and humanitarian benefits of simulation & training.

91 International Exhibitors

13,000 sqm Exhibition Area

AT A GLANCE

CAPITAL HOSPITALITY

ADNEC launched a new in-house F&B service to ensure highest quality is granted to all visitors welcomed at ADNEC. Capital Hospitality combines international and local knowledge to produce a 5-star hospitality service offering that is second-to-none.

It delivers premium hospitality experiences at our venues and external catering solutions.

23 Participating Countries

Live Flying Demonstrations

Unmanned Systems Conference

300 conference delegates

Over 5,000 visitors

Dhabi Executive Council, seven unmanned

ADASI S-100 Al Sabr – UAE, Denel Seeker II – South Africa, Insitu / Boeing Integrator – USA.

JOINT BIDS WINS

12 international congress wins, with 44,000 total expected delegates

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE

AED144 million

* Source: Orient Planet Media Monitoring

XL INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

ADNEC hosted the 2016 edition of the XL International Workshop, dedicated to decision makers and professionals from the association congresses and venues industry at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Humaid Al Dhaheri, ADNEC Group CEO, said: “ADNEC hosted the biennial XL Workshop this year as part of our continued commitment to sharing expertise and knowledge with our industry partners.

NEW EXHIBITIONS

15 new exhibitions

WASTE MANAGEMENT

676.4 tons of waste were recycled

IMEX 2016

IMEX is the biggest gathering of decision makers in the MICE industry across the world and created significant brand exposure for ADNEC.

The workshop helped us showcase our expansive venues and facilities to key global decision makers in the association congresses industry that can help them deliver successful international events. He added: “Business tourism is at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s ambitious plans for economic development. In collaboration with our partners, we continue to leverage Abu Dhabi’s immense potential as a leading destination in this sector, while also benefitting from opportunities to promote efficient knowledge transfer and expertise.”

AL AIN CONVENTION CENTRE

Al Ain Convention Centre has emerged as a major hub for important business events, and figures prominently on the list of the world’s leading event organisers, attracting delegates and tourists from around the world.

Al Ain Convention Centre perfectly complements the mandate at the Abu Dhabi Exhibitions Company to enhance the development of the MICE sector in Al Ain and augment its contribution to the overall business tourism landscape, in addition to increasing visitor numbers to Al Ain Convention Centre and boosting hotel occupancy rates in Al Ain.

EXPANSION OF AL AIN CONVENTION CENTRE

The Phase II expansion work is in line with ADNEC’s strategy to promote and strengthen the high-potential business tourism industry in Al Ain.

The project aimed to enable the exhibition and conference venue to attract more national and international conferences, summits and exhibitions.

The expansion provided an increase in area by 8%, to register 14,000sqm in total.

The second phase of the expansion delivered dedicated new facilities for conferences that features new meeting halls and seminar rooms.

Furthermore, the expansion enhanced current infrastructure and facilities, and allowed the venue to leverage new opportunities in hosting bigger and better activities, events, meetings and workshops. The new conference facilities are designed to comply with the best-in-class standards of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

Spanning an area of 1,000sqm, the conference facilities features five meeting rooms across two floors. Two of the meeting rooms –112sqm and 78sqm in area – are located on the ground floor. Likewise, three rooms spanning an area of 47sqm each, are available on the first floor. The five meeting rooms collectively accommodate 600 visitors.

The launch of phase II of Al Ain Convention Centre is aligned to ADNEC’s ongoing strategy to upgrade and boost the efficiency of all our subsidiary entities within the Group.

Through such efforts we can ensure that our world-class venues remain competitive and relevant in attracting major local and international exhibitions and events to the emirate.

The Al Ain Convention Centre is considered the most vibrant exhibition and conference venue in the Garden City and a major contributor to the UAE national economy.

ExCeL LONDON

ExCeL London is the host venue for a variety of events from award winning exhibitions and conferences to international association meetings, product launches, banquets, award ceremonies, sporting events and great days out.

HIGHLIGHTS IN 2016

ExCeL contributed £4.5 billion in economic impact to London

25% of London’s inbound business tourism last year can be directly attributed to events at ExCeL

New exhibitions included New Scientist Live, Kidtropolis, Elite Business and Star Wars Celebration

Training venue CentrEd at ExCeL opened in January. Located on the waterfront, this state-of-the-art facility was built to provide dedicated, comfortable space for training courses and meetings, bringing a new audience to ExCeL

Over 75% of the 27 units on our boulevard have been redeveloped to create a world-class retail offer

New seating areas were introduced, increasing capacity by 10% and creating comfortable spaces equipped with power points, so that visitors can network and continue their working day at ExCeL

Investment in new technology and the delivery of 25 new digital screens along the boulevard - enhancing the opportunity for exhibitors and brands to raise their profile to ExCeL visitors

A new ExCeL website was launched in June. Since launch, there have been 2.1 million page views - this compares to 1.5 million over the same period the year before

2016 VENUE DEVELOPMENTS

A Our new £1.5m training venue CentrEd at ExCeL was opened in January. Located on the waterfront, this state-of-the-art facility was built to provide dedicated, comfortable space for training courses and meetings, bringing a new audience to ExCeL

A Over 75% of the 27 units on our boulevard have been redeveloped to create a world-class retail offer

A Two celebrity chefs have aligned their brands with ours: Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Deli is now a permanent fixture at ExCeL, while Bryn Williams has brought his seafood to the venue as part of a three month pop-up, with more developments to come in 2017

2016 AWARDS

A New seating areas were introduced, increasing capacity by 10% and creating comfortable spaces equipped with power points, so that visitors can network and continue their working day at ExCeL

A CityJet partnership - 20% discount on fares for international visitors coming to ExCeL, helping organisers in their aims to attract visitors from around the world

Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre - World Travel Awards

Event Caterer of the Year – Cateys Food Service Awards 2016

Best UK Conference Centre - C&IT Awards

Best Conference Venue (over 600) - London Venue Awards

Event Chef of the Year at the Craft Guild Chef Awards (James Buckley, Head Chef ExCel London Hospitality)

SMART ADNEC

ADNEC has undertaken this strategic initiative based on its vision to become the most successful exhibition, conference and events centre in the region. Like many other industries, the convention and exhibition industry – especially the MICE industry as a whole – is affected by the high levels of globalization and an increased awareness of cost and competition in a tougher economy.

Expectations of visitors, exhibitors, advertisers, delegates, and organizers have changed; in many ways the always-connected, always-upto-date mind-set brought on by mobile devices and new computing technologies. This has quickly rendered existing technology (or its absence) in convention and exhibition buildings old fashioned. Increased mobility and ease of doing business have shifted a significant portion of sales volume to lower cost locations, often built from the ground up on modern technology.

Thus, having high-cost large-scale operations in rapidly aging prime location buildings is largely becoming a major stumbling block in an industry once based on clout, authority, and government funding. Cost awareness, development of peripheral countries, and changing expectations of technological integration are now driving progressively mobile customers towards locations previously deemed remote.

Considering all the above including the evaluation of the IT landscape, inputs received from business departments and the strategic direction for ADNEC based on the Abu Dhabi government’s e-governance strategy, the program intends to deliver the following:

A IT infrastructure enhancements to support the new features and functionalities

A Integrated application platform to enhance the business processes

A E-Services development and delivery

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

ENHANCED FREE WIFI COVERAGE ACROSS ADNEC AND AL AIN CONVENTION CENTRE

WEB ENABLED UNGERBOECK PLATFORM

Ungerboeck ADNEC’s event management platform had a significant change during 2016 enabling the web version (v20) available for all ADNEC employees. Ungerboeck v20 brings in a host of additional features to the application including personalised dashboards and action lists. It significantly enhances the overall look and feel of the application. Further ADNEC Commercial Team can now access “Ungerboeck” on any mobile/ handheld devices which enables them to get information online as required. This allows them to on time access to booking and ADNEC events calendar increasing their customer intimacy.

NEW MEETING ROOM RESERVATION & CAR BOOKING SYSTEM

As part of the regular business demand, ADNEC introduced the free WiFi service across the whole ADNEC venue for all its customers and visitors.

Launched in August 2016 in AACC and November 2016 in ADNEC, the project enabled visitors and clients to have free and stable wireless internet available throughout the venue. ADNEC is amongst a select few entities that have this service without any restriction on either the duration and the download which is unique to a large venue.

UPGRADE OF ADNEC INTERNET BANDWIDTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

As part of its continuous effort to serve customers better, ADNEC has upgraded the Internet Bandwidth Management system. The new solution supports the exhibition requirement of internet services, and easy manageability of internet connections. It is integrated with social media and enables ADNEC to capture and retain customer information. Additional to the benefits above, this creates a database for ADNEC to increase its clientele and customer connect.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE ENHANCEMENTS

Numerous digital signage initiatives were deployed during the course of the year due to the regular feedback received from clients about the lack of directional signage within the venue. The SMART ADNEC team introduced a series of projects that include Way finding and advertisement kiosks.

The indoor WayFinding Kiosks are installed across multiple locations covering the whole of the venue assisting clients in easy accessibility within the venue. These kiosks guides ADNEC customers on how to reach their destination by using the basic wayfinding application. It also provides the ability to print directions for people preferring that option. A few digital screens were placed within the key areas leading into the venue for clients near the entrances. Further to these additional digital signage installations were done for Meeting Rooms in Grandstand, and Digital Screens in Starbucks.

This initiate was targeted for the internal employees and significantly reduces e-mails and paper by allowing employees to book the services from the intranet. With this initiative, employee productivity increases allowing them to manage their meetings and car request via the reservation system and an online availability viewing.

CORPORATE INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE

Network, Back Up and Telephony Upgrades were carried out to enhance the overall ADNEC operations. These projects increased the reliability of ADNEC infrastructure that supports the core business, automated archiving and retrieval of end users’ emails, new telephone functionality such as voice mails, video calls for ADNEC Management’s devices, and ability to use a mobile phone extension calling facility using Jabber.

AIR WATCH IMPLEMENTATION

ADNEC IT implemented a mobile device management solution using Air Watch that allows all ADNEC employees to have the ability to receive ADNEC e-mails through their preferred mobile/ hand held devices.

ADNEC IT worked with ADNEC HR & Finance and achieved a significant milestone in migrating all ADNEC Mobile users from ADNEC managed service into a BYOD and individual connections. This exercise was completed in a short duration once approved and significantly reduced ADNEC telecom costs and manageability challenges with the ISP.

ADNEC EMPLOYEES

ADNEC is committed to developing our experienced and talented people. One of our four core values is Work Together. We believe in sustainable growth and Emiratisation.

We are dedicated to attracting and nurturing the best talent and we maintain a collaborative, engaging and creative environment in which our people can thrive and grow.

Our priority is to invest more in developing individual competencies and empowering our employees to be the best they can be

HUMAID AL DHAHERI

At ADNEC, excellence is a quality deeply ingrained in our DNA. From world-class facilities to hosting cutting-edge exhibitions and conferences, we have always managed to deliver excellence due to one asset - our people

H.E. NOURA AL KAABI

OUR PEOPLE

HR INITIATIVES AND UPDATES

TAWDHEEF 2016

ADNEC aims through its participation in Tawdheef 2016 to highlight company’s leading status as an employer of choice for UAE nationals. This is aligned with the company’s strategy to attract more Emirati job seekers to the MICE sector and enable them to eventually lead this vital industry as envisioned by Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030. 60%

Emiratis in senior positions

82%

INFORMED SUCCESSION PLAN

For 2016, the ongoing Emiratisation programme and desire to increase the number of UAE National employees were supported by an informed succession plan for the first time.

This has resulted in more targeted appointments matched to employee’s potential.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The UAE National employees who had participated in an ADNEC Leadership Development Programme continued with their development plan.

All UAE National employees have a detailed and active Personal Development Plan that they review with the leading and development team quarterly.

TOUCH OF BUTTON EMPLOYEE SERVICES

An ERP system, the My Services facility has been further developed to enable employees to self administrate their own personal details and benefits.

BUSINESS GROWTH FOR ADNEC

The HR team supported the introduction and development of a new F&B business in 2016. The hospitality business (Capital Hospitality) will be further developed during 2017 and in particular in Al Ain.

ADNEC UAE NATIONAL FORUM 2016

In November, ADNEC once again held its annual Emiratis Forum that provides the opportunity for all UAE nationals to meet with the Managing Director, Group CEO and senior executives. This open forum provides an opportunity for views to be exchanged on a wide range of topics, concerns and issues from our UAE national colleagues. It also provides a platform for exchanging and promoting ideas about how ADNEC can continue to improve and develop as a business.

ADNEC INTERNAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS: CAPITAL AWARDS

Our internal excellence awards honour the outstanding performance of both our employees, committees, projects and departments in alignment with Abu Dhabi Excellence Awards in Government Performance (ADAEP) model.

The winners were announced and recognized by H.E. Noura Al Kaabi, ADNEC Chairwoman, and Mr. Humaid Al Dhaheri, ADNEC Group CEO, at our 1st Capital Awards Ceremony in November 2016.

The internal excellence award is divided into four main categories:

A Distinguished Department

A Distinguished Project

A Distinguished Team

A Distinguished Employee

HAYAKUM STAFF CONFERENCE

In May, ADNEC held its 5th annual staff conference “Hayakum” under the theme “ADNEC Olympics”. This was a fun day filled with updates from our senior leaders from across the business, fun and creative team building activities like Giant Jenga & several other physical and intellectual games where the teams collected points to get to the final stage of the Olympics: Who Wants to be a Chief (an ADNEC twist to the TV program: Who Wants to be a Millionaire).

The senior management got to engage closely in an informal ambience in the Chef Competition where the senior management competed in different food stands to cook for the employees.

Hayakum is an event that is put together and managed by ADNEC employees. The 2016 Hayakum received a 97% satisfaction result.

OUR PEOPLE FLAG

DAY

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) commemorated the UAE Flag Day on 3 November, marking the 12th anniversary of the accession of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE.

The UAE national flag was hoisted at the ADNEC premises to the notes of the national anthem. The event was marked in the presence of all staff members from Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and Al Ain Convention Centre (AACC).

National Day Celebrations 2016

ADNEC celebrated the 45th UAE National Day on Tuesday, 29 November, that was attended by Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO. The celebration was organised by ADNEC National Day Committee.

ADNEC has hosted a number of cultural and heritage activities and events as part of its National Day celebrations. The theme of the event was “From the Past to the Present” where the employees went through a heritage village served as a key component of the celebrations and then through the modern UAE. Aiming to raise awareness about the rich culture and heritage and transition of the UAE in only 45 years, the heritage village featured four dedicated corners from Young Emirati Businesses each showcasing a unique aspect of the country’s traditional and modern cultures.

Emirati Women’s Day

The employees celebrated for the second year the Emirati Women’s Day on the 28 August, 2016. The National Celebrations Committee distributed a flower to all Emirati Women as a gesture of gratitude for their contribution and important role in the UAE.

OUR INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

The way we communicate with each other is central to our success. ADNEC employees are at the heart of our business. ADNEC has a comprehensive internal communications strategy and plan to ensure that all our people have access to the right information at the right time, as well as keep our people engaged in all corporate matters.

We have a number of communication channels to ensure that our messages, news and information are available for all ADNEC people. The internal communication ensures that these messages are not only downward (from management to employees) but also upward (employees to management) through surveys and staff suggestion initiations, and horizontal (across departments and employees).

ADNEC is committed to diversifying the channels to encourage teamwork, networking and enable ADNEC people to ask questions to senior management and continuously emphasize the inter-departmental communications.

MYMAG – INTERNAL MAGAZINE

ADNEC’s company magazine is by ADNEC people for ADNEC people. Since 2015, MYmag is being published in its’ electronic version only. This is part of ADNEC’s continuous efforts in promoting sustainability, which is one of the main principles that we are committed to in all our work, for the future of the new generations.

MYNEWS – INTERNAL NEWSLETTER

ADNEC has a monthly newsletter that enables ADNEC people to stay up-to-date with current activities and achievements. It is published on ADNEC’s intranet (MYweb) as well as being displayed in our internal offices.

MYWEB – INTERNAL WEBSITE

Through our MYweb, we publish daily news stories allowing all ADNEC people to have up-to-date and instant information. The internal website is the primary place to visit to find information.

MYSITE – INTERNAL EMPLOYEE PROFILE

ADNEC provided an internal social site located on our intranet where our people have their own profile on MYweb. This profile captures details about our people’s skills, experiences, interests and much more. MYsite allows our people to post blogs, upload photos and comment on other’s stories and news as well as get alerts on new posts by the people they find interesting.

MYIDEA – STAFF SUGGESTION SCHEME

As part of ADNEC’s continual drive to strive for excellence, promote knowledge sharing and improvement, and encourage staff engagement, ADNEC allocated an internal initiative for encouraging innovation.

YOUR OFFERS

ADNEC allocated a page on the intranet to keep our people updated on the latest deals and offers for ADNEC people.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND DEPARTMENTAL UPDATE AND AWARENESS SESSIONS

ADNEC is committed to diversifying the channels to encourage teamwork, networking and enable ADNEC people to ask questions to senior management and continuously emphasize the interdepartmental communications.

SUSTAINABILITY AND CSR

ADNEC is passionate about operating as a responsible corporate company. We are committed to balancing our environmental, economic, and social objectives to develop a sustainable corporate business model. In alignment with our core values, ADNEC is committed to continuous improvement in not only our services and products, but in all that we do to conserve resources, prevent waste and foster environmental, social and financial sustainability for the benefit of for our stakeholders including shareholders, employees, customers and the wider society.

We actively increase knowledge, understanding and awareness across all our ADNEC people encouraging participation and engagement in our sustainability initiatives.

CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Here at ADNEC it is our policy to continuously evolve and implement practices that deliver social and environmental benefits. We have a dedicated team in place to tackle environmental issues comprising representatives from various departments who meet on a regular basis to discuss new recycling ideas.

SUSTAINABILITY MEMBERSHIPS

ABU DHABI SUSTAINABILITY GROUP (ADSG)

The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) promotes sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government, private companies and not for profit organisations in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue. ADNEC formally joined ADSG in 2012, and since then we have actively participated in a number of development workshops. In addition, ADNEC is represented in the Facilitation and Coordination Committee which reports directly to the ADSG Management.

ABU DHABI SUSTAINABILITY WEEK (ADSW)

An Abu Dhabi government initiative (ADSW), is the ground-breaking global forum that unites thought leaders, policy makers and investors to address the challenges of renewable energy and sustainable development.

ADNEC as a venue and services provider is proud to work closely with Masdar (the key owner of this event) to make ADSW and its World Future Energy Summit as the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East and a significant forum in stimulating the international dialogue and action.

UFI SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

ADNEC is a member of the UFI Sustainability Development Committee. The UFI Committee on Sustainable Development was formally established in 2008 to support UFI as it focuses on the issue of Sustainable Development in the Exhibition Industry.

ADNEC was one of six members who actively helped the UFI Sustainability Development Committee create the Sustainability Reporting Framework for the exhibition industry.

ADNEC INTERNAL COMMITTEES

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING TEAM MEMBER’S PARTICIPATION:

1- Attendance of committee meetings

2- Contribution and value added (input, ideas, suggestions, discussions, etc.)

3- Willingness to take responsibilities and perform additional tasks

4- Timely completion of assigned tasks

5- Exceeding expectations

6- Positive attitude and cooperation

Team Purpose Leadership

Strategy & Corporate Results

People & People Results

Emiratization

Suppliers Management

Asset Management

Processes & Customer Results

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to leadership

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to strategy and corporate performance

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to people

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to Emiritisation

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to suppliers

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to asset management

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to process management ad customers

Excellence related

Corporate

Social Responsibility CSR To manage and lead ADNEC’s efforts related to CSR

Sustainability Team

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to process management and customers

Green Team To manage and lead ADNEC’s green initiatives (water, waste, energy)

Knowledge Management and Innovation To manage and lead ADNEC’s efforts related to KM and innovation

Business Continuity Management BCM To manage and lead ADNEC’s efforts related to BCM

Digital Government

Financial Management

My Idea

To manage and lead ADNEC’s efforts related to digital government, e-services and SMART initiatives

To respond and adopt ADAEP requirements and practices related to financial management

To manage the concept of MyIdea

Capital Awards Steering Oversight the Capital Awards program

Capital Awards

Capital Awards Admin Team Manage the Capital Awards program

Event based Hayakum

Plan, manage and deliver the staff conference Manage & execute the set plan for Hayakum 2017.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

WASTE AND DISPOSAL MANAGEMENT FIGURE 2016

Waste Management in ADNEC is managed by DULSCO.

Waste Management machines operate 24 hours to ensure safe and secure collection, segregation and storing of waste at the venue.

In 2016, ADNEC generated 1978.7 tons of waste in total in which 676.4 tons were recycled.

From the figures below, ADNEC recycled 143.45 tons of paper and cardboard which saved 2438.65 trees, 1004150 gallons of water.

WASTE DIVERSION

LIQUID FOOD COMPOST MACHINE (LFC)

We have deployed One LFC machine in Feb 2016 for food waste recycling and we have diverted 69.22 Tons of Food waste diverted from the Landfill.

By recycling 69.22 tons of food waste, 274.4 tons of CO2 equivalent diverted from the Landfill.

REVERSE VENDING MACHINE (RVM)

New 8 RVM machines with new technology have been installed in ADNEC in February 2016. A total of 27.4Kgs of plastic bottle and cans are handled by the machine.

ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES

PAPERLESS DAY

ADNEC marked Paperless Day 3 times in 2016 which was in April, August and December. The drive aims to increase awareness of paper consumption and to reduce the printing habits by sending tips by internal communication as well as calculating the paper printed within a week.

EARTH HOUR

ADNEC took part in the annual sustainability initiative Earth Hour, which is a global event organised by WWF. The campaign urges everyone across the world to turn off non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness on the need to act on climate change. The event was on Saturday 19 March 2016, from 8:30-9:30pm local time. The lighting in the venue was partially or completely shut down. The event resulted in the saving of 2060 KWH of electricity on earth hour.

WORLD WATER DAY

STOP AND DONATE

ADNEC’s “Stop and Donate”, previously called “Stop and Drop” initiative took place twice a year. The first “Stop and Donate” ran for 3 days, from 3-5 May 2016 and the second ran from 25-27 September 2016. The station locations were in ADNEC Car Park A level 1 and level 4, Car Park B level 1 and level 2, VIP Parking entrance and ANDEC entrance from Capital Gate.

The initiative drew the participation of both ADNEC employees and members of community. Skips were distributed at ADNEC entrances. At each entrance ADNH employees were deployed to help people in the drop off process. DULSCO employees were tasked with emptying the skips when they become full.

ADNEC celebrated the World Water Day on 22 March to spread awareness and show the importance of water. The event showcased a painting by an ADNEC Employee.

SCHOOL RECYCLING PROGRAM

Plastic bottle and paper were collected from school as per the table below.

School Plastic Bottles Paper

Al Dhaianiya School 98 kg

CSR DONATION

1262.77 kg

ADNEC made a donation to Red Crescent during Liwa fashion show. Based on the suggestion of a Green Team member. Items were purchased during the show and donated to Red Crescent.

Reusable items collected through the “Stop and Donate” drive were sent to Red Crescent. Non-reusable item were recycled. In its 3- day run, the drive collected 26.61kgs of paper & plastic for recycling. 89.32kgs of reusable items were donated in May. In September, the initiative resulted in the collection of 125.88kgs of recycled items and 133.87kgs of reusable items were donated.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS

ADNEC health and Safety successfully organized the first ADNEC Safety Day on 31st August 2016.

More than 400 participants from our stakeholders (contractors, organizers, and partners) attended. The key highlights of the events included the following:

A Launching of ADNEC H&S rules and regulations videos

A Launching ADNEC evacuation plan video in Arabic and English

A Training all attendees on ADNEC H&S rules and regulations for events and exhibitions.

A OSHAD involvement and presentation to all.

A PASMA and IPAF - Live demonstrations of safe use of scaffolding and MEWP (Cherry Pickers and Scissor Lift)

TRAINING COURSES

ADNEC Health and Safety coordinated and conducted the following trainings in Q3 2016

SAFETY TRAINING VIDEOS

ADNEC Health and Safety has developed the safety training videos on emergency procedures and HS rules and regulations for the contractors.

Fire Marshal Training

Fire Marshal training commenced in November 2016 in coordination with Jaheziya licensed and approved by Civil Defence.

GROUP PHOTOS

1 - Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2 - World Future Energy Summit 3 - ADIPEC

4 - UMEX

5 - XL Workshop

6 - First Ramadan Capital Majlas

ADNEC GROUP TIMELINE

December

Total economic impact since the exhibition and conference centre first opened in 2007 is AED 17.9 billion

November

ADIPEC Annualised

December

ADNEC’S GVA (Economic Impact) reached AED 3,478 Billion

June

Won the bid to host World Skills 2017

September

Launch of the 1st Sustainability Report based on the GRI framework

October

Large international congress wins including the World Energy Congress and the World Road Congress, both in 2019

July

ADNEC wins AEO Sustainability Award second time in a raw

February

Launch of the new unmanned systems exhibition and conference (UMEX) co-located with IDEX 2015

June

Developing the infrastructure of Capital Centre

July

ADNEC wins Sustainability Award at AEO Awards

March

Inauguration of standalone UMEX, the first unmanned systems exhibition and conference

February

Most successful IDEX 2015 so far with record-breaking exhibitors and visitors numbers

March

Won the bid to host World Diabetes Congress 2017 with expected 15,000 delegates

October

ADNEC HONOURS WINNERS OF THE CAPITAL AWARDS 2016

Refreshing