14 May 2014 Cross River State has taken another step in cementing its reputation as the business tourism destination of Nigeria with the formal launch of the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC), Nigeria’s first purpose-built conference facility. The conference centre was launched officially at World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaking at a press conference, Project Co-ordinator, Mr. Nzan Ogbe, announced that the CICC is on track for its official opening in February 2015 and is ready to begin taking bookings from conference organisers.
Construction of Calabar International Convention Centre began in 2012, after a design bid won by renowned Danish architects, Henning Larsen, and is almost 60% complete. Buildings are expected to be ready for selected events by the end of this year, with the first commercial events set to commence in late February 2015.
The Calabar International Conference Centre will be able to accommodate international congresses, corporate conventions, government retreats and other type of meetings, with delegates numbers from as few as 10 to as many as 2,000 for plenary sessions. The total capacity of the centre exceeds 5,000 seats in 21 different venues and the Centre’s spacious foyers will provide delegates with spectacular views of the Calabar River and its natural environment.
A road show is scheduled to be held across Nigeria, in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, to provide more detailed information for meeting planners, conference organisers, government representatives, heads of professional organizations, local and national secretaries.