DWTC on target for Dh850m exhibition, convention centre

Construction work is on round-the-clock for the Dh850 million development of the Dubai International Exhibition Centre and Convention Centre, which is to host the IMF and World Bank summit in September 2003.

The site - which presently houses the Dubai World Trade Centre Tower, Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC), and Dubai International Hotel Apartments - will soon include a convention centre, Dubai World Trade Centre Tower II, DWTC Novotel Hotel, DWTC Ibis Business Hotel, and a shopping concourse.

The convention centre is expected to open by the first week in March. It will have an auditorium to seat 6,000 people, and more than 40 meeting rooms. The centre's multi-purpose hall will be linked to DIEC by a covered concourse featuring shops and restaurants.

The on-going work also ties in with plans to upgrade DIEC, which hosts over 45 exhibitions and 100 other events.

The existing eight interconnected halls - which provides 37,000 square meters of space - are also being altered. When complete, all the halls will have the same height roofs and there will also be undercover walkways.

The upgrade to Halls 1 and 2, and the building of the linked concourse - including shops - is expected to be ready by early September. "Our season is due to start up again in September and we are running on schedule to have the halls ready by then."

Due to be finished by late November is a new production kitchen, as part of Dubai International Catering Centre.

Around the same time, construction of the two hotels is expected to be ready.

The Novotel, which will be four-star, will have 412 rooms and eight meeting rooms. Additionally, the two-star Ibis will have 210 rooms.

Dubai World Trade Centre Tower II, a 13-storey providing 30,000 square metres of commercial space, should be complete by mid-December.

Also, work is taking place on developing almost 3,000 car parking spaces.

The addition of shops will provide services for guests staying at the connected hotels and for those visiting the exhibitions. "We are approaching different services to make it more of a shopping mall atmosphere," said the management.

Access to the complex will still be available from Sheikh Zayed Road side, but another entrance is being built at the back of the site for visitors to the convention centre, hotels and new office tower.

During the construction phase, some exhibitions were transferred to the Dubai Airport Expo - also managed by DWTC. When DWTC facilities are complete, the management is confident the Dubai Airport Expo will still be a popular choice for exhibitions in Dubai.

"There will still be a need for Dubai Airport Expo - some organisers just want to have the whole show in one area. An example is Dubai Air Show."

With the physical growth of DWTC, there are also plans to boost the size of exhibitions. "At DWTC there are more ideas for new exhibitions and more ideas for making exhibitions bigger."

According to the management, the development of the DWTC site has been timely. It believes the extension fits in perfectly with the vision of Dubai.

"I think Dubai has really planned for the future - and the future of Dubai is on Sheikh Zayed Road."