Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) has signed up US marketing firm, Marketing Challenges International (MCIntl) as its exclusive sales agent in the US and Canada.

As per the agreement, MCIntl will promote the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre globally and help bring major global corporate and association events to the Gulf region's largest exhibition centre. Besides, it will also arrange study tours and advise Adnec management of key North American market trends.

"In addition to promoting ADNEC’s world class event facilities, MCIntl will also highlight Abu Dhabi’s unique appeal to event organisers, including its massive infrastructure investment and unparalleled government support," said Humaid Al Dhaheri, Adnec’s director of finance & HR.

"Abu Dhabi provides the ideal gateway to a region brimming with potential. Adnec’s strategic alliance with MCIntl will enable North American businesses to use events staged at the Abu Dhabi expo entre as a platform to reach out to the countries in Mena, as well as key emerging markets such as China, India and CIS countries,” Al Dhaheri explained.

Christina Anthony, Adnec sales & marketing director, pointed out that the North American convention and association sector offered tremendous potential for Adnec and added that it was very excited to announce this strategic move.

"There is a huge demand for events within the Abu Dhabi market, this combined with the world-class facilities on offer and the tremendous support offered to event organisers by the Abu Dhabi government, creates a powerful sales proposition to take to the North American market," she added.

MCIntl, located in New York, has operated for 25 years and has worked with a vast number of global venues, convention bureaus and government organisations.

Currently it represents a number of high profile organisations, including three of the world’s most successful convention destinations Vienna, Barcelona and Berlin.

Additionally MCIntl also represents Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau and ExCeL London, Adnec’s major venue in the UK capital, for which it became the exclusive North American sales agent in July 2008.

Adnec is the company’s first venture into the Mena region, said Michel Couturier, president of Marketing Challenges International.

“We have long looked to the Middle East with a sense of excitement.  In recent years the region has come to the forefront of the global destinations business, with a number of landmark developments," Couturier remarked.

"None of these projects has excited us more than the development of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre; we are delighted to have entered into agreement with the Gulf’s largest venue of its kind and we look forwarded to spreading the word about Adnec and Abu Dhabi to the United States and Canadian market,” he added.

Adncec will continue its push for new US business throughout 2011, launching a marketing drive which will see it participate in two major American meetings industry exhibitions; AIBTM, which takes place in Baltimore in June and IMEX America which take place in Las Vegas in October.

As well as sending senior delegations to meet with influential meeting planners in New York City, Chicago and Washington DC, Al Dhaheri added.-TradeArabia News Service