Business Wire

ASM Global’s Rapidly Expanding Convention Division Unveils Exhibition World Bahrain, Middle East’s Largest Exhibition Centre

Share

ASM Global, the world’s leading venue management company and producer of live experiences, has made history with the spectacular firework-laden inauguration ceremony of the 950,000-square-foot Exhibition World Bahrain—the largest exhibition centre in the Middle East.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221122005879/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Image courtesy of ASM Global

The Kingdom’s Exhibition World is one of the most contemporary such venues in the world. Its launch is a milestone in the Kingdom’s economic development and is expected to play a key role in advancing the economic competitiveness and positioning of Bahrain as a major global destination for regional and international conventions.

The venue joins ASM Global’s portfolio of more than 350 venues around the world and kicks off the company’s post-pandemic convention growth initiative.

ASM Global’s President and CEO Ron Bension said, “This moment is the culmination of our plan developed during the pandemic leveraging our belief that this part of the world would be the quickest to not only return to normal but move quickly to dramatically increase its convention and exhibition market share.

“We’re also looking forward to leveraging the widest network in the world within the MICE industry to create unique experiences built on years of expertise.”

The opening extravaganza was attended on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain.

HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad highlighted the importance of competitiveness as a fundamental element of the kingdom’s economy, which has bolstered investments, promoted economic progress and created quality opportunities for citizens. He also noted that tourism remains a leading economic sector, adding that the sector's growth has been a key driver of the kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty the King.

During the ceremony, Bahrain Tourism Minister H.E. Fatima Al Sairafi noted the kingdom’s longstanding history in being a destination linking the east and west for trade, which has furthered its position as a global tourist destination. She added that the inauguration of the venue reflects the kingdom’s commitment to expanding cross-sector development in line with Bahrain's sustainable development goals.

Exhibition World Bahrain is unique for its adaptable and flexible design, featuring 10 halls with a combined total of 95,000 sqm. The spectacular Grand Hall has a capacity of 4,000 seated guests and is supported by 94 meeting rooms as well as 25 F&B and retail outlets throughout the exhibition concourse. The centre’s spacious design enables it to host a number of events simultaneously, making it an attractive location for local, regional and international exhibitions, conventions, galas, weddings, concerts, sports, and live entertainment events.

Exhibition World Bahrain is owned by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), which plans to utilize ASM Global’s wider network within the MICE industry to create unique experiences built on years of expertise.

ASM Global APAC and Gulf Region Chairman and Chief Executive Harvey Lister AM congratulated BTEA on the inauguration of Exhibition World Bahrain, one of the Middle East’s largest exhibition and convention centres.

“ASM Global is proud to be working in partnership with BTEA helping to ensure Bahrain will be at the forefront of attracting tourism investment, international conventions and exhibitions and world-class live events to the Gulf region,” Lister said. “This iconic landmark venue will further position Bahrain as an international destination, helping to drive diversification of growth, benefiting the local economy and further enhancing the kingdom’s global standing.”

Exhibition World Bahrain General Manager Dr Debbie Kristiansen said she was extremely proud of her dedicated and committed team and their passion and determination to “give back” to the beautiful country of Bahrain, helping to create long-term legacies for the future. Dr Kristiansen highlighted the importance of mentoring and building the talent and skillset of young Bahrainis describing it as a “privilege.”

Following the grand opening, Exhibition World Bahrain immediately opened to the public with three concurrent events expected to see well over 100,000 visitors over the span of five days: Jewellery Arabia, the premier jewellery and watch show celebrating its 30th edition; Scent Arabia’s first-ever exhibition; and Cityscape, the region’s largest real estate summit and exhibition.

ASM Global’s network hosts 20,000 events and welcomes 165 million guests every year. Other flagship exhibition and convention centres in its portfolio include McCormick Place in Chicago; Moscone Center in San Francisco; ICC Sydney; Shenzhen World in China; and P&J Live in Aberdeen, U.K.

About ASM Global

ASM Global is the world’s leading producer of entertainment experiences. It is the global leader in venue and event strategy and management—delivering locally tailored solutions and cutting-edge technologies to achieve maximum results for venue owners. The company’s elite venue network spans five continents, with a portfolio of more than 350 of the world’s most prestigious arenas, stadiums, convention and exhibition centres, and performing arts venues. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. asmglobal.com

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

PRESS CONTACT:
Jim Yeager
jim@breakwhitelight.com (for ASM Global)
Mobile: 818-264-6812

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Blue Matter Establishes New Capabilities in Biopharma Research & Development Led by Partner, Tara Austraat-Churik13.1.2026 16:01:00 EET | Press release

Blue Matter is pleased to announce that it has established a practice area dedicated to serving clients in biopharmaceutical Research & Development (R&D). The practice is led by Tara Austraat-Churik, a Partner who joined the firm in September 2025. Tara Austraat-Churik has been serving life science clients for more than 20 years. Her areas of expertise include strategy development and implementation, operating model and organizational design, and process optimization in R&D and Medical Affairs. Prior to joining Blue Matter, she served as Managing Director in R&D, Health, Science, and Wellness at EY. She has a robust background in consulting, which also includes roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Navitas, WPP, and IBM. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Notre Dame and an MSc in Translational Medicine from the University of Edinburgh. The R&D practice, according to Austraat-Churik, exists to help biopharma companies simplify and accelerate the pathway to market. She adds, “R&D organ

Wasabi Raises $70M in New Equity to Power the Next Era of Data Infrastructure13.1.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release

Wasabi Technologies, the Hot Cloud Storage company, today announced a $70 million equity funding round led by L2 Point Management with participation from Pure Storage and existing investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company. The new round values Wasabi at $1.8 billion and brings the company’s total funding to over $600 million. The capital will be used to accelerate Wasabi’s expansion into AI infrastructure, broaden its global footprint, and enhance its product portfolio to meet the growing data demands of enterprises and AI developers worldwide. “We’re ushering in the next generation of cloud storage, powering data-intensive workloads like generative AI and autonomous systems,” said David Friend, co-founder and CEO of Wasabi Technologies. “This funding underscores Wasabi’s strong market position and continued growth as enterprises and AI developers alike seek a better, more predictable alternative to the hyperscalers.” Wasabi disrupted the cloud storage model in 2017 wi

Armis Secures Italy’s Primary Public Healthcare Provider for the City of Naples as Cyber Threats Increase13.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release

Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, today announced that ASL Napoli 1 Centro, Italy’s primary public healthcare provider for the City of Naples, is securing its attack surface using Armis Centrix™, the Armis Cyber Exposure Management Platform. Prior to working with Armis, ASL Napoli 1 Centro did not have the tools or capabilities to monitor physical and virtual assets in real time, which posed a challenge for its security and compliance. Armis Centrix™ was deployed with a clear goal: to provide ASL Napoli 1 Centro with a comprehensive, real-time view of its connected biomedical inventory and the associated risks to the overall environment. “Time-to-value was practically immediate; Armis began delivering valuable information as soon as the system was activated and connected to our internal network,” said Fulvio Paone, Director of the ICT and Digital Transformation Unit at ASL Napoli 1 Centro. “Armis has given us visibility into a critical area. This isn’t just about

Opengear Introduces CM8000 and OM1300: Two New Paths to Network Resilience as Outages Surge13.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release

Opengear, a Digi International company (NASDAQ, DGII), today announced two new additions to its Network Resilience Platform: the CM8000 Series and the OM1300 Series. These next generation devices deliver compact, flexible, and automation-ready out-of-band infrastructure designed for a time when outages are increasing and distributed sites continue to scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260113807672/en/ Opengear Introduces CM8000 and OM1300: Two New Paths to Network Resilience as Outages Surge According to Opengear research, 84 percent of CIOs and CISOs have experienced a rise in outages over the past two years. The CM8000 Series and OM1300 Series were purpose-built to ensure that IT teams maintain access and control even when the production network is unavailable. The two series provide complementary approaches: CM8000 Series A serial-first recovery platform with integrated power control for core branches,

GARDP and Debiopharm Partner to Advance Development of Novel Gonorrhea Drug13.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release

The GARDP Foundation (known as GARDP) and the privately-owned, global biopharmaceutical company Debiopharm today announced that they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to pursue the development of Debio1453, a novel, first-in-class antibiotic targeting Neisseria gonorrhoeae. With 82 million new cases each year, and the continued spread of multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae strains, gonorrhea represents a global health crisis. This new partnership will help ensure that gonorrhea continues to be a treatable disease and will alleviate the risk of the emergence of future resistance, by ensuring that the antibiotic pipeline continues to be replenished. Gonorrhea caused by N. gonorrhoeae is currently in danger of becoming untreatable because of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Having developed resistance to almost all antibiotics used to treat it, only one last recommended treatment, ceftriaxone, remains effective, and now we are seeing a growing number of cases that are

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye