Bahrain Crown Prince lays foundation stone for new expo centre
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Bahrain's Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, attended the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the new Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sakhir.
HRH the Crown Prince highlighted that the kingdom’s rapid development and modernisation across a wide range of fields confirms Bahrain is progressing towards achieving its development goals.
He stressed the importance of continuing to promote Bahrain as a key tourism and investment destination, in order to support the kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
HRH the Crown Prince noted the significant growth of the exhibition and convention sector, which has transformed Bahrain into the destination of choice for a number of high-level international and regional events, as well as a number of corporate activities throughout the year.
Laying the foundation stone for the centre, he underlined its importance as a means to attract even more events to the kingdom.
HRH the Crown Prince emphasised that the new convention centre reflects the kingdom’s efforts to increase competitiveness, contribute to economic diversification and growth, and meet the aspirations of Bahraini citizens.
Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, expressed his appreciation for the ongoing support HRH the Crown Prince has shown towards the project, remarking that it will significantly strengthen the kingdom’s event infrastructure and enable Bahrain to host greater numbers of larger events in the future.
Al Zayani concluded by noting that the convention centre will be a model site characterised by an imposing infrastructure, as well as the highest standards in technology and service.
The Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sakhir will be built on a 309,000 sq m of plot. The 149,000-sq-m main building will include 10 exhibition areas, totalling 95,000 sq m, along with dedicated areas for retail and events. The facility will also include a 4,500-sq-m conference hall divided into three separate hi-tech rooms, in addition to 27 small and medium-sized conference and meeting rooms.
