State-of-the-art expo, convention centre ‘to be completed in 2022’

Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister, Essam Khalaf, and Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister, Zayed Al Zayani, has signed a contract to build the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sakhir. In a statement to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), Industry Minister said that the project had been awarded by the Tender Board to Cebarco Bahrain S.P.C, noting that the facility will be completed by mid 2022.

Located next to the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, the new 308,000-sq-m international exhibition and convention centre will be built on a 1.3-million-square metre land lot, and will be five times as big as the current exhibition centre in Sanabis, the minister said, adding that the project will be the largest of its kind in the region, and will consolidate the kingdom’s status as a leading tourism and commercial destination in the near future.

Works Minister affirmed that the project will serve the exhibitions sector, and develop the national economy, as it will create more jobs and attract more investments to the kingdom. He said that the new centre will include 10 exhibition halls with a total area of 95,000 square metres along with all the necessary services, in addition to areas dedicated for retail and events.

The facility will also include a 4,500-sq-m conference hall which will be divided into three separate hi-tech rooms, in addition to 27 small and medium conference and meeting rooms with a total area of about 1,700 sq m, as well as two Majlises for VIPs. The centre will also include an external gate, rooms for guards and control, and parking lots that can accommodate up to 16,00 vehicles.

The parking lots of the sports city will also be used as additional parking facilities. The new exhibition and convention centre, with a 149,000-square-metre built area, was designed and supervised by the German consultant Co KG and Tilke GmbH, who also designed and oversaw the implementation of the Bahrain International Circuit.