Keen to garner a greater share of the booming MICE industry, especially in the Middle East, Bahrain has opened its latest and largest exhibition and convention centre, the Exhibition World Bahrain.

In a bid to boost the footprint of Bahrain in global business events industry, the country has added to its facilities for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), with the opening the largest exhibition centre in the Kingdom, the Exhibition World Bahrain, which was inaugurated on Monday by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

According to a press statement, the Exhibition World Bahrain is the newest convention and exhibition centre in the region, and the largest in the Kingdom of Bahrain. With 10 halls, multiple exits and entrances, storage facilities, and wide-ranging services, the centre’s strong capacity will enable it to host several events and exhibitions simultaneously, making it an attractive location for local, regional, and international exhibitions.

While inaugurating EWB, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of competitiveness as a fundamental element of the Kingdom’s economy, which has bolstered investments, promoted economic progress, and created quality opportunities for citizens.

He also noted that tourism remains a leading economic sector, adding that the sector’s growth has been a key driver of the Kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by the King. The Crown Prince congratulated the King on the launch of the new state-of-the-art convention centre, noting that this achievement is a culmination of steps taken by the Kingdom’s forefather, the late Amir Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the efforts of the late PM Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The Crown Prince also paid tribute to Team Bahrain’s efforts and determination to achieve the Kingdom’s wide-ranging economic goals that aim to further current and future development endeavors. He indicated that the launch of the Exhibition World Bahrain is a further milestone in the Kingdom’s economic development, emphasising its role in advancing economic competitiveness and positioning the Kingdom as a major global destination for regional and global conventions.

On the occasion, the Crown Prince was also briefed on the EWB halls and amenities, as well as the innovative and world-class services it will provide to users, event organisers and visitors. For her part, the Minister of Tourism, Fatima bint Jaffer Al Sairafi, extended her gratitude for the Prime Minister’s continuous support to the Kingdom’s tourism sector, highlighting the Kingdom’s longstanding history in being a destination linking the east and west for trade, which has furthered its position as a global tourist destination.

She noted that the inauguration of the Exhibition World Bahrain reflected the Kingdom’s commitment to expanding cross-sector development in line with Bahrain‘s sustainable development goals. The Exhibition World Bahrain’s conference centre features a main hall that can accommodate approximately four thousand people and can be divided into three separate halls equipped with the latest technical services to host international conferences and events. It also consists of a number of other halls for medium and small-scale conferences and meetings.