ELAN Qatar, Fira Barcelona to operate Doha center

ELAN Qatar and Fira Barcelona have been chosen by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) to manage and oversee day-to-day operations for the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The new meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) venue is expected to open by year's end. The management announcement was made during a ceremony where an agreement was signed by His Excellency Issa bin Mohamed Al Mohannadi, chairman of QTA, and Abdelazziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, chairman of ELAN, a media and entertainment company formerly known as q.media.

"DECC is set to become one of the most attractive MICE venues in the Middle East, and we are looking forward to working with our partners at ELAN Qatar and Fira Barcelona to transform its massive potential into reality," Hamad Al-Abdan, director of exhibitions at QTA, said.

The venue was built by Qatari Diar on 90,000 square meters and includes five halls that can accommodate 3,500 people.

"ELAN Qatar is quickly building a reputation in the region for its expertise in the entertainment industry, running some of the most successful and recognized exhibitions and events in Qatar," Jaber Al-Ansari, chief executive officer of ELAN Group, said. "We've partnered with Fira Barcelona, giants in the MICE industry in their own right, to develop and nurture this expertise and, together, manage this outstanding venue that will surely affirm Qatar's position as a leader in the MICE industry."