Opening new frontiers: Oman
These are interesting times for MICE in Oman with the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) – a short drive from the new Muscat International Airport – gaining recognition regionally and internationally.
The 3,200-seat theatre is the showpiece feature, and there is a 456-seat auditorium complemented by 19 meeting rooms, providing companies with a range of options at their disposal.
The grand ballroom offers a number of seating options including 2,688 in a theatre-style, 1,680 in a classroom-style, and 1,200 seats for a banquet setting. It can also be further subdivided into three or six individual meeting rooms using a system of acoustically rated operable walls.
The junior ballroom splits into two equal spaces to seat up to 1,026 in a theatre-style and 672 in a classroom-style and it can accommodate 540 delegates in a banquet setting.
Providing more than 22,000 square metres of column-free space, the exhibition halls can be divided into five separate areas. Halls 1 and 2 combined can seat up to 10,000 delegates in theatre style and act as a multi-purpose space for larger plenary sessions, concerts or performances. The individual halls offer a dedicated registration desk, hospitality suites and separate offices for both the organiser and event manager.
Current calendar highlights include the Perfume Exhibition 2019, 43rd World Hospital Congress, IHF Muscat 2019, Oman Science Festival 2019, Muscat International Jewellery Exhibition and 40th SICOT Orthopaedic World Congress.
The JW Marriott Muscat – which itself has eight event rooms, the largest of which can hold 818 guests – is poised to open shortly and adjoins the centre, serving as a convenient option for delegates and complementing the Crowne Plaza OCEC a short distance away.
The sultanate’s incentive appeal is broad with mountains, beaches, caves, wadis and archaeological sites complemented by Omani cuisine and traditions, which give visitors an authentic Arabian experience.
New this season is The House of Musical Arts – a new addition to the Royal Opera House – which will host more art and musical performances and feature a permanent cultural exhibition. The district is on the up with the opening of W Muscat last summer.