UK's Mace chosen to oversee Phase 1 of Dh10b Dubai Exhibition Centre expansion

Dubai: The UK construction firm Mace has been chosen to oversee Phase 1 of the Dh10 billion ($2.7 billion) Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) expansion that will shape the Expo City Dubai. The appointment was done by Dubai World Trade Centre. 

Phase 1 is set for completion by 2026 and increase the DEC’s exhibition space to 140,000 square metres. This is 2.5 times its current capacity of 58,000 square metres.

There will also be two further phases for the development. Upon completion in 2031, the DEC is set to become the largest purpose-built indoor events and exhibitions venue in the region, 'serving as the new home for mega exhibitions in Dubai and UAE'.

"We are committed to further developing Dubai’s Exhibitions and Events industry, with the aim of tripling its annual economic contribution to Dh54 billion by 2033," said Amer Al Farsi, Assistant Vice-President, Real Estate at Dubai World Trade Centre. 

“The expansion of the Dubai Exhibition Centre will play a key role in this growth, delivering a next-generation home for mega exhibitions. We look forward to partnering with Mace once again and collaborating on the successful delivery of Phase 1 of this significant project.”

There is a wider development that will take place at Expo City. Dubai recently unveiled the masterplan for that, thus helping set in motion new areas of residential and commercial development at the destination.

The fully expanded DEC will feature 180,000 square metres of exhibition space, with 26 halls that spans 1.2 kilometres.

For Phase 1 of the expansion, Mace's role will include project and design management. The appointment builds upon Mace’s completion of the original Dubai Exhibition Centre (formerly COEX) in 2020, that was delivered for Expo 2020 Dubai.

"We have been delivering iconic projects and programmes in Dubai and the UAE for more than 25 years," said Stephen Venney, UAE Country Director at Mace Consult.