Kingdom set to affirm its position ‘as regional hub of expos, events’

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday attended the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sakhir, which took place under the patronage of His Royal Highness.

HRH the Crown Prince highlighted that the Kingdom’s rapid development and modernisation across a wide range of fields confirms Bahrain is progressing towards achieving its development goals. With this in mind, HRH stressed the importance of continuing to promote Bahrain as a key tourism and investment destination, in order to support the Kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH the Crown Prince noted the significant growth of the exhibition and convention sector, which has transformed Bahrain into the destination of choice for a number of high-level international and regional events, as well as a number of corporate activities throughout the year. HRH the Crown Prince then proceeded to lay the foundation stone of the future Convention Centre, underlining its importance as a means to attract even more events to the Kingdom.

HRH the Crown Prince emphasised that the new Convention Centre reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to increase competitiveness, contribute to economic diversification and growth, and meet the aspirations of Bahraini citizens.

During the ceremony, Zayed Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism expressed his appreciation for the ongoing support HRH the Crown Prince has shown towards the International Exhibition and Convention Centre project, remarking that it will significantly strengthen the Kingdom’s event infrastructure and enable Bahrain to host greater numbers of larger events in the future.

Mr Al Zayani concluded by noting that the Convention Centre will be a model site characterised by an imposing infrastructure, as well as the highest standards in technology and service. The Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sakhir will be built on a 309,000 square metres of land. The 149,000 square metre main building will include ten exhibition areas, totalling 95,000 square metres, along with dedicated areas for retail and events.

The facility will also include a 4,500 square metre conference hall divided into three separate hi-tech rooms, in addition to twenty-seven small and medium sized conference and meeting rooms. HRH the Crown Prince was accompanied by HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

A number of senior officials also attended the ceremony. A few days ago, Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister, Essam Khalaf, and Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister, Zayed Al Zayani, signed a contract to build the centre. 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.