By Peter Alagos/Business Reporter


The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) is gearing up for a number of big-ticket events slated this year, including a soldout live concert featuring international musician Ed Sheeran.
Chief executive officer Abdul Aziz al-Emadi of Amlak, which operates QNCC, said the centre has been hosting a variety of major events since December 2011, making it a key contributor to Qatar’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry.
“When you want to attract international events, it’s not only the venue that plays a significant role, especially if you are gunning for events that have commercial significance. It’s a complete package,” said al-Emadi during a roundtable discussion with the media yesterday.
He noted that the major events lined up for 2015 at the QNCC play a significant role in selling Qatar as a major MICE destination in the Middle East.
“QNCC also works closely with government entities such as Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) in selling Qatar as a destination. While the venue is a vital component of MICE, other factors such as ticketing, transportation, and logistics are some of the dynamics that guarantee the success of each event,” al-Emadi noted.
QNCC sales manager Government & QF Montacer Aouri told Gulf Times that Ed Sheeran’s concert slated this coming March was already sold out.
“We were able to sell 2,200 tickets in just one day after we opened the box office,” said Aouri, who added that the concert will be QNCC’s first and largest live event for an international artist.
He added that during an inspection of the concert venue, Ed Sheeran’s technical team was impressed with QNCC’s state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities: “They said there was no need for them to bring additional equipment.”
Aouri said QNCC was also gearing up for the staging of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice from April 12 to 19, which is expected to gather 7,000 UN delegates.
The congress poses as a logistics challenge, according to Ambassador Ahmed Hassan al-Hammadi, vice president of the Preparatory Committee of the UN Congress, who earlier said arrangements with QNCC, hotels, and transportation facilities have been completed.
Aouri added that other top events to be held at QNCC include Project Qatar 2015 from May 4 to 7 and Qatar Foundation’s Annual Research Conference on November 18-19, among others.
“We also compete with other countries and renowned tourist destinations in bringing in events to Qatar when attending international functions and trade shows. And during these events, what we sell is not only QNCC but also brands such as Qatar Airways and government organisations like Qatar Tourism Authority. We sell Qatar as a destination,” Aouri said.
Al-Emadi added that QNCC has also received distinctions such as “Middle East’s Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre” by World Travel Awards (2014 and 2012), “Best Events Venue 2013” by Middle East Event Awards, “Best Congress and Convention Centre Middle East” by Business Destinations Travel Awards 2012, and “Best Convention Centre in Middle East” by MICE Report Awards 2012.