News
UAE – ADNEC RECORDS A RECORD YEAR WITH AN IMPACT OF 2.2 BILLION EUROS
The ADNEC Group, the events, catering, and tourism division of Abu Dhabi’s state-owned holding company Modon, closed 2025 as the best year in its history, contributing a record-breaking 9.2 billion dirhams (approximately 2.19 billion euros) to the UAE economy. The group, which owns ExCeL London in addition to its venues in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, announced this milestone this week during the presentation of its annual figures. This contribution represents an 8% increase compared to the previous year’s 8.5 billion dirhams (over 2 billion euros).
An important aspect of this key indicator is that it does not refer to revenues or profits, but rather to a measure of economic impact used by ADNEC to calculate its direct and indirect contribution to the national economy. As a fully state-owned enterprise, the group does not publish consolidated financial results.
Part of these figures includes 2.17 million hotel room nights generated by the group’s business and tourism activities. These expenditures align with the UAE’s strategy to build a diversified and knowledge-based economy.
Sector in Strongest Growth: Venues
The core driver of this growth was the venues sector. The venues—ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, ADNEC Centre Al Ain, ExCeL London, and the Business Design Centre—together hosted over 1,149 events, a 15% increase, and attracted 6.3 million visitors, up 17% compared to 2024. According to the group, this is the highest visitor number ever recorded and has led to the creation of over 70,000 jobs. Abu Dhabi hosted the largest-ever edition of the ADIPEC energy exhibition, which set a record with 70,000 visitors in a single day, while the IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in the Middle East and North Africa region for the first time.
Milestone for ExCeL London
For ExCeL London, this year marked a historic milestone. The London venue celebrated its 25th anniversary and completed a 25,000-square-meter expansion, reaching a total area of 125,000 square meters and making it the largest fully integrated exhibition and convention center in Europe. The new space opened in conjunction with the season finale of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, followed by the largest-ever edition of World Travel Market London, which drew over 46,000 travel professionals.
Record-Breaking Defense, Capital Exhibitions, and Events
The other business divisions also recorded growth. Event organizer Capital Events was responsible for the largest editions of the IDEX and NAVDEX defense exhibitions, which together attracted 206,073 visitors—a 55% increase compared to the previous edition. The catering division, Capital Catering, achieved 29% growth and served 51.6 million meals across sectors such as healthcare, aviation, energy, and defense. Overall, the group won nineteen international awards in 2025, bringing its historic total to 202 accolades.
Group CEO Humaid Al Dhaheri highlighted record growth figures across all performance indicators. Chairman Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi of parent company Modon Holding linked these results to Abu Dhabi’s ambition to position itself as a leading destination for business tourism and international events.