Adnec Group, one of Mawdun's companies and the primary driver of its events, hospitality and tourism sectors, has achieved exceptional and record-breaking results in 2025, registering the highest economic value in its history for direct and indirect contributions to the national economy, alongside outstanding achievements across its six business sectors.
The group's added economic value rose to exceed AED 9.2 billion, recording growth of 8% compared with AED 8.5 billion in 2024, driven by its activities in the business tourism and entertainment sectors. The group also contributed to generating more than 2.17 million hotel nights, reflecting its growing role in stimulating economic growth and supporting the UAE's strategic direction towards building a diversified, knowledge-based economy.
His Excellency Jasem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of Mawdun Holding, said that these exceptional results achieved by Adnec Group are testament to Abu Dhabi's continued success in building a diversified and sustainable economy. Through a focus on innovation, economic diversification and world-class infrastructure, the emirate has firmly established itself as a leading destination for business, tourism and high-profile global events. He added that these results reflect the vision of our wise leadership in creating an environment conducive to the flourishing of industries and the growth of opportunities.
Bill O'Regan, Chief Executive Officer of Mawdun Holding, said that in 2025, Adnec Group achieved another exceptional year of growth, recording a significant economic impact in Abu Dhabi. As a core pillar of the Mawdun ecosystem, Adnec Group plays a central role in supporting the emirate's long-term economic growth journey and diversification of its sources. Through its distinguished performance in the events, hospitality and tourism sectors, Adnec continues to press ahead in creating added value across numerous sectors, thereby cementing Abu Dhabi's standing as a distinguished global events destination.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Adnec Group, said that 2025 witnessed record growth rates across all business performance indicators, the highest in the group's history, reflecting the success of our strategy built on enhancing direct and indirect contributions to the national economy, transferring and localising advanced knowledge, forging partnerships and boosting the competitiveness of national industries across various economic sectors — all to consolidate Abu Dhabi's position as the regional capital for these vital sectors and as an incubator for innovation and development, in line with the aspirations and vision of our wise leadership.
Adnec Group won 19 prestigious international awards in 2025, most notably the Best Exhibition Centre in the World award for Adnec Abu Dhabi, in addition to numerous medals and specialist awards in the sustainability sector, bringing its total cumulative tally to 202 global awards across its various business sectors.
Adnec Group's venues — comprising Adnec Abu Dhabi, Adnec Al Ain, ExCeL London and the Business Design Centre — hosted more than 1,149 events in 2025, an increase of 15% compared with the previous year, while welcoming 6.3 million visitors, up 17% compared with 2024, the highest figure in the group's history, thereby supporting more than 70,000 jobs in the exhibitions, conferences and related support sectors.
Adnec Abu Dhabi hosted more than 77% of the total conferences and 19% of the total new exhibitions held for the first time in the UAE and the Middle East region, a clear indicator of growing global interest from event organisers worldwide, including conferences from North America, Europe and Asia.
In 2025, the centre also hosted the largest edition ever of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), which shattered previous attendance records by attracting 70,000 visitors in a single day — an unprecedented achievement for both the event and the venue alike.
Adnec Abu Dhabi also hosted the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, held for the first time in its largest edition in the Middle East and North Africa region, attracting 10,000 participants who contributed to shaping the global vision for nature protection and biodiversity conservation efforts for the next 20 years.
Meanwhile, ExCeL London completed a 25,000-square-metre expansion project, making it the largest integrated conference and exhibition centre in Europe.
The opening of the new space coincided with the season finale of the FIA Formula E World Championship.
This further reinforces ExCeL London's standing as a global events platform, having hosted World Travel Market London — Europe's largest event for companies operating in the tourism sector — which saw the attendance of more than 46,000 industry professionals from around the world.
Capital Events, Adnec Group's specialist events management arm, organised several landmark events during 2025, including the largest editions ever of the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX), which attracted 206,073 visitors — an increase of 55% over the previous edition.
Capital Events also organised, for the first time, the fourth edition of the Make in the Emirates event at Adnec Abu Dhabi, which recorded record growth of 300% in event size and a 16-fold increase in the number of exhibitors compared with the previous edition. Adnec Al Ain hosted the first edition of the Al Ain International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, setting a record by welcoming 116,617 visitors and confirming its status as a prominent event on Al Ain's events calendar.
Capital 360 Event Experiences, Adnec Group's services arm, achieved an exceptional year in 2025, supporting the organisation of 4,621 events and projects, with its international operations expanding to five countries: Egypt, the United States of America, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
The company also organised the first edition of the Sir Bani Yas Challenge, the first long-distance triathlon in the Middle East and North Africa region, which welcomed more than 3,500 athletes from 47 nationalities and helped promote Sir Bani Yas Island as a leading tourist destination in the Al Dhafra region.
Capital 360 also organised the largest edition of Abu Dhabi Summer Sports, which saw 220,453 visitors participate throughout the summer season, an increase of 98% compared with the previous edition.
Capital Hospitality, Adnec Group's specialist food and beverage arm, served approximately 51.6 million meals in 2025 across key sectors including healthcare, aviation, defence and energy, an increase of 29% compared with 2024, reflecting its significant growth and expanding impact.
The company provided its services to 29 hospitals across the UAE and 21 airlines through its airport facilities, in addition to the defence sector. The company plays a leading role as a catering services provider in the UAE's energy sector, supporting major clients such as ADNOC and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.
It also provided its services to 2,303 events including corporate dinners, weddings and private occasions, and for this performance it won the Best Hospitality Company in the Middle East award at the Global Culinary Awards.
Tourism 365, Adnec Group's tourism arm, continues to enhance Abu Dhabi's standing as a global tourist destination, welcoming more than 330,000 travellers in 2025, with its client base growing by 15%, reflecting its ongoing efforts to support inbound tourism growth to the emirate.
As a new part of its operations, Tourism 365 served a record number of Etihad Airways transit passengers in Abu Dhabi, totalling 144,000 travellers, contributing to the growth of inbound tourism to Abu Dhabi.
The group continued to strengthen its global presence in the tourism and media sectors during 2025; Tourism 365 successfully expanded into 9 new markets including Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Mauritius, Morocco, Indonesia, the United States, the Dominican Republic and Greece, in support of outbound tourism operations.
twofour54, Adnec Group's media arm, made tangible progress in 2025 in enabling the content industry globally, contributing to more than 40 local, regional and international productions and playing a pivotal role in attracting major Hollywood films such as Dune — Part Three, a Brad Pitt Fast and Furious film, and Bunker (13) to Abu Dhabi, thereby reinforcing the UAE's standing as a leading filming destination.
Adnec Group achieved notable progress on both business growth and sustainability fronts. In alignment with its plan to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2045, the group received significant national recognition for its efforts in this area, including the Golden Category