Al-Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre hosted 570 events and 260,000 guests and visitors in less than 3

Since its establishment less than three years ago, Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) has grown considerably both in reach and reputation. Renowned for hosting and organising events that lead to a closer collaboration between key Sharjah organisations, JRCC offers the ideal platform for ground-breaking events in terms of the number of visitors the venue can host, as well as supplying the required equipment and offering top-class facilities.

One of the forerunners in Sharjah dedicated to organising and hosting economic and community gatherings, JRCC has hosted 570 events since it opened its doors in early 2013. In that time, the five-star venue has successfully served the needs of a long list of clients, including government bodies and major private companies. Among its clients are Etisalat, Gargash Enterprises, Lenovo, Al Rayyan Property, Nissan, the American University of Sharjah, and many more.
Right now, JRCC is considered to be the number one social events venue in the Northern Emirates and it has hosted almost all of the weddings in Sharjah in recent years. In order to fully support the brides-to-be visiting the venue, JRCC launched the exclusive wedding publication, ‘The Bride Guide’ and the venue is on schedule to launch the 1st signature wedding exhibition in May 2016.

In addition, JRCC has hosted a range of big social gatherings in 2015, including a Diwali event, which catered for up to 1,700 people. The venue has also become very popular for graduation ceremonies, offering capacity for more than 3,000 students and guests per event.

Hanan Al Mahmoud, Director of JRCC, said, "In less than three years, the team at JRCC have shaped a venue that is of real benefit to the Sharjah community. Established by HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah to meet the needs of a transformational events venue, JRCC offers exquisite catering and hospitality services. During our relatively short time in operation, we have gathered more than 260,000 guests and visitors to the venue and provided A to Z event management solutions for several corporate events, including the Bee’ah Sharjah Environment Awareness Award and Sharjah Healthy City Official Title Awarding Ceremony."

She went on to say, "This year, among others, we hosted many different international corporate events or conferences, a number of royal and mass weddings, and a series of art, media, and community gatherings. We also accomplished some noteworthy achievements, including the success of our culinary team at the Emirates Culinary Guild Salon Culinaire Competition, where we won six medals on our first outing. The JRCC chef team was also awarded third place among the contending local and international teams and took home 10
which was held last June at Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort."

Other major events hosted by JRCC in the last quarter of this year include the Sharjah Healthy City Official Title Awarding Ceremony. The event, held on 30 September and attended by 250 people, was also organised by JRCC. This special ceremony saw the city of Sharjah officially confirmed as the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy City in the Middle East. The event was attended by senior WHO officials and the emirate’s leaders, including His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, who received WHO’s Healthy City Adoption Citation from Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.

JRCC also hosted the third annual Sharjah International Children's Film Festival, held under the patronage of Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the wife of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and screened 175 films from 20 countries. The films delved into topics ranging from social issues to the current refugee crisis.

Commenting on hosting the annual Sharjah International Children's Film Festival for the third consecutive year, Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of the festival, said: “No doubt the excellent services offered by JRCC such as the multi-purpose halls, the world-class facilities and the luxury hospitality service, in addition to the highly experienced team, significantly contributed to making the third annual Sharjah International Children's Film Festival, hosted at JRCC last October, a success.”

Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi extended her thanks and appreciation to the JRCC team for their outstanding efforts during the festival. She expressed her hopes that the

cooperation will continue in the years to come, particularly as the centre is an ideal venue for world class events that seek impeccable services.”

In addition, two international conferences took place at JRCC. The conferences, both of which were hosted in the UAE for the first time, included ‘The 3rd Arab Publishers Conference’, the largest gathering of publishing houses, literary agencies and publishing professionals in the Arab world. The event welcomed 300 people per day to JRCC. Most recently, JRCC hosted the Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Forum, which ran from 14 - 15 November. As part of her commitment to the fight against cancer and NCDs, HH Sheikha Jawaher, Founder and Royal Patron of Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP), International Ambassador of the World Cancer Declaration for Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and International Ambassador for Childhood Cancer for UICC, was the forum’s Patron. The forum, which welcomed 300 people per day over the course of the two-day event, was organised in partnership with local host organisation FoCP.

Marwa Al Aqroubi, Assistant Director and Head of Public Initiatives Division at SBEO, is another satisfied JRCC customer, saying of her experience: “Thanks to the unique equipment and top-notch hospitality services at JRCC, we have been able to organise a successful conference. Guests were impressed with the high quality of the halls. JRCC will support the MICE industry and will enable us to host events that will make a positive difference in many sectors.”

Of her experience with JRCC, Executive Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance Mrs Katie Dain said: “I would like to extend my wholehearted thanks to the team JRCC for such great hospitality. Thanks also for the fantastic catering, which exceeded JRCC, Dr Sawsan Al Madhi said: “JRCC was an ideal venue for hosting this forum. The spacious area and fully equipped halls greatly helped us in organising the event, particularly due to the fact that the agenda was packed with discussion panels and workshops that were held at the same time. This would not have been made possible without the centre’s excellent preparations. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all members of the JRCC family, both management and employees, for their collaboration which reflected their great response to our humanitarian and community causes.”

Dr Sawsan Madhi, Secretary General of Friends of Cancer Patients added: “I was very happy with the service JRCC delivered, everything from the planning through to the catering was perfect. Our guests loved the venue, the service, and - most of all - the food.”

There are many exciting events scheduled at the venue for the remainder of 2015 and into 2016 and JRCC will continue to develop in the coming months and years, expanding the available services to best serve the people of Sharjah and beyond.