Qatar National Convention Centre

Qatar National Convention Centre
Map
AddressAl Luqta Street, Al Rayyan, Qatar
LocationEducation City, Al Rayyan Municipality
Coordinates25°19′20″N 51°26′16″E / 25.322212°N 51.437708°E / 25.322212; 51.437708
OwnerQatar Foundation
OperatorAMLAK Venues (Subsidiary of AMLAK Holding)
OpenedDecember 2011
Enclosed space
Website
www.qncc.qa
Street view of the centre

The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) is located in the Gharrafat Al Rayyan district, on the Dukhan Highway in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The convention centre is a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and is situated on Qatar Foundation’s 2,500-acre campus alongside the Sidra Medical and Research Center, Qatar Science & Technology Park, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Texas A&M, and Georgetown University, among others.

QNCC was officially opened on 4 December 2011.[1] It was the first of its kind being built to the gold certification standard of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED). Designed by Arata Isozaki in partnership with RHWL Architects, the building is designed to operate efficiently with innovations such as water conservation and energy-efficient fixtures, and it is approximately 32 percent more efficient compared with a similarly designed building that lack such innovations. One of the features is the 3,500 sqm of solar panels providing 12.5 percent of the Centre's energy needs. The exhibition halls are equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting. Many other integrative design elements were included in the building to achieve the highest level of environmental and sustainable standards. QNCC features a conference hall of 4,000 seats theatre style, a 2,300-seat theatre, three auditoria and a total of 52 flexible meetings rooms to accommodate a wide range of events. The columns at the front of the building to symbolise a Sidrat al-Muntaha, a sacred Islamic tree believed to mark the end of the seventh heaven in the Islamic religion.[2] It has 200,000 square metres of venue area, which includes 40,000 square metres of exhibition space over nine halls, and is adaptable to seat 10,000 for a conference or banquet.[3][4] It has held many concerts in the past, some notables include The Script, Ed Sheeran and OneRepublic.

In 2013, QNCC won the “Best Events Venue” at the Middle East Event Awards 2013.[5] The Centre received “Middle East’s Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre” from World Travel Awards;[6] “Best Congress and Convention Centre, Middle East” from Business Destinations Travel Awards (a vanity award);[7] and “Best Convention Centre in Middle East” by MICE Report Awards in 2012.[8]

Events held at the QNCC include the QITCOM 2014, the Qatar Foundation's Annual Research Conference 2014 (ARC’14) as well as the International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition 2015.[9][10] The second High Tech Port Fair, showcasing technology companies, and the 19th International Business Forum were held together at the QNCC in October 2015.[11] In 2017, the centre hosted the GCC Majors Competition.[12][13]

Over 1,000 student participated in the 10th Qatar National Robot Olympiad (NRO) which was held at the QNCC in March 2018.[14]

In July 2019, the QNCC hosted “The Smurfs Live on Stage – Smurfs Save Spring” as well as “Hello Kitty Live Fashion & Friends“.[15][16]

In 2022 the third Build your House exhibition was held.[17] The DECC and the QNCC signed an agreement in February 2022 to promote Qatar as a business event hub.[18]

In November 2023, the Qatar Leadership Conference (QLC) and the World Innovation Summit for Education was held at the QNCC.[19]

The DIMDEX 2024 was held in March 2024 at the QNCC and featured 9 international pavilions as well as 200 companies.[20][21]

  1. ^ Habib Toumi (4 December 2011). "National convention centre opens in Doha". Manama: Gulf News. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Qatar National Convention Centre by Arata Isozaki". Dezeen. 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  3. ^ "Qatar sanctions update". Exhibition World. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  4. ^ "Broadcasting glory from Qatar to world!". Qatar Tribune. 2022-10-19. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  5. ^ "Qatar National Convention Centre wins Best Events Venue at Middle East Event Awards 2013". Conference and Meeting World. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Middle East's Leading Exhibition & Convention Centre 2014". World Travel Awards. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Qatar conventions". Business Destinations. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Qatar National Convention Centre Wins The "Best Events Venue" At the Middle East Event Awards 2013". ETB Travel News. 30 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Turnout at Qitcom 2014 to top 80%: official". Gulf Times. 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  10. ^ "Project Qatar 2015 to feature pavilions of over 30 countries". Gulf Times. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  11. ^ "Qatar to host 19th International Business Forum and 2nd High Tech Port Fair". Gulf Times. 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  12. ^ "Complete list of Qatar Summer Festival 2017 activities". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  13. ^ "More fun as QSF to be longer this year". Qatar Tribune. 2017-05-24. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  14. ^ "10th Qatar National Robot Olympiad 2018 opens at QNCC". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 2018-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  15. ^ "Events in Qatar: July 14 - July 21, 2019". ILoveQatar.net. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  16. ^ "Tickets go on sale for Smurfs & Hello Kitty shows". Gulf Times. 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  17. ^ Turqueza, Lalaine (2022-01-30). "Third Edition of Build Your House Exhibition to Open in March". Marhaba Qatar. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  18. ^ Turqueza, Lalaine (2022-02-20). "DECC and QNCC Signs Deal to Promote Qatar as Hub for Business Events". Marhaba Qatar. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  19. ^ Aguilar, Joey (2023-10-31). "November packed with diverse events in Qatar". Gulf Times. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  20. ^ "DIMDEX 2024: 200 Companies and 9 International Pavilions". Naval News. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  21. ^ "DIMDEX 2024". Ocean Science & Technology. Retrieved 2024-03-21.