ICEF Middle East Scholarship and Partnership SummitProvider Information Pack

Venue: Kempinski Hotel Muscat, 335 Street 6, Muscat 138, Sultanate of Oman
Event Date: 08:00 Sunday, February 16 – 18:30 Monday, February 17, 2025.

Please scroll down for detailed timings, including registration and evening receptions.

Kempinski Hotel Muscat
335 Street 6, Muscat 138, Sultanate of Oman
Phone: +968 24 985000

Rate

Unfortunately there are no more rooms available at the ICEF discounted rate but you can still book your accommodation on the hotel website.
Further information on the Kempinski Hotel Muscat can be found here.

Mysk Hotel
Al Mouj 335, Street 6, Muscat, Oman
Phone: +968 24 274400

Rate

Unfortunately there are no more rooms available at the ICEF discounted rate but you can still book your accommodation on the hotel website.
Further information on the hotel can be found here.

The walking distance between the Mysk Hotel and the Kempinski Hotel Muscat is approx 8 – 10 mins. You can view a hotel map here. Bus shuttles will also be available.

Citizens of GCC countries (the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) do not require visas to enter Oman.

In addition, there are 103 countries exempt from requiring a visa to visit Oman for a stay of up to 14 days. Please ensure that you have evidence of a confirmed hotel booking, valid health insurance and a return ticket. Here is a link to check whether you are exempt from a visa.

If you intend to stay longer than 14 days you can apply for an e-visa at https://oman-evisa.com/

If your country is not listed above, you can verify the different visa options here.

Taxi Service: Taxis are readily available at Muscat International Airport, with fares to the city centre generally costing around 6.5 OMR (approximately €16) for a standard trip. Taxis charge approximately 2.5 OMR as a base fare, with an additional 0.4 OMR per kilometre for distances up to 40 km; beyond that, the rate is 0.2 OMR per kilometre. Travellers are advised to use taxis operated by official airport services, which can be found at the taxi stand right outside the arrivals terminal.

Public transport
Public buses, operated by Mwasalat Transport Company, are available at the bus station located on the ground floor outside the airport building. Bus schedules that depart directly from Oman International Airport are available on the Mwasalat website.

Package arrival date: From Monday 10th of February onwards.
The venue is unable to store any items received before this date, as a result they may not be accepted.

Package preparation: Please bear in mind that you will have a maximum of 17 pre-scheduled meetings when calculating the amount of promotional materials to send. 

Shipping label: Please use this label on all packages so they are easily identifiable onsite.

Courier: Please contact a courier of your choice and remember to include a proforma invoice. Inspections of deliveries with incomplete documents can take up to four weeks. Please note that neither ICEF nor the venue can take responsibility for approving shipments with customs. 

Sustainable alternatives: To reduce the use of paper, you can also upload up to five documents, three videos and up to eight photos into your Marcom eSchedule PRO profile and make them available to other participants prior to, during, and for four weeks after the event.

Please also consider using local suppliers to cut down international shipping. 

Wifi: Please be aware that although wifi will be provided, we recommend downloading your event materials, presentations and videos directly to your device for your meetings. This helps reduce GHG emissions and ensures the network traffic is not overloaded.

If you’d like to make an impression at your dedicated exhibitor table here are some suggestions to help you stand out:

• Branded table cloth
• Reusable table top roller banner or pull-up banner
• QR code to your website/brochures/offers
• Sustainable giveaways for your potential partners
• No need for business cards – delegates can scan your v-card on the reverse side of your badge
• Laptops – power is provided at each table so you can show your meeting partners your videos and presentations 

Please note that the above information pertains to service providers with a display table only. 

International educators will have no individually assigned meeting tables at this event. As you will be moving between tables for your meetings we recommend to keep the materials you carry to a minimum.  

*Not applicable to accompanying persons/guests

You will receive access to our online meeting scheduling tool, Marcom eSchedule PRO, approximately 4 weeks prior to the event, allowing you to send personalised meeting requests to targeted contacts based on source country or type of programme.

If you are using Marcom eSchedule PRO for the first time, we recommend that you visit the below links to make the most of the platform: 

• Getting Started 
• Scheduling Meetings – Useful Hints & Tips
• Video tutorials

Scheduling meetings during the event

To make the most of your participation, meetings can be scheduled once the event has started, up to one hour before the requested meeting time. 

We recommend that you leave Marcom eSchedule PRO open throughout the event and regularly refresh the page to keep an eye on the latest meeting requests that may come through.

You will be able to collect your badge and welcome pack on Sunday, February 16, 2025, from 08:00 to 19:00 at the ICEF hospitality desk located in the Muscat Ballroom Foyer of the Kempinski Hotel Muscat. Participants arriving after this can register on Monday, February 17, from 8:00 onwards in the same location.

As this is an invitation-only event, anyone not wearing a badge may not be admitted into the event area. Please also understand that for the same reason, we cannot allow non-registered family, friends or staff to enter the auditorium or meeting hall.

If you change your representative at the event it is important you inform your account manager of this in advance before arriving, otherwise you may experience delays at registration.

Opening the summit on day 1 will be a programme of seminars and panel discussions featuring regional leaders and experts, as well as leading voices from the UK, USA, and beyond.

In addition, a wide variety of round table discussions will offer the opportunity to debate regional topics with heads of scholarship organisations, government ministers, university representatives, Middle East experts, and sector peers.

You can find out more via the seminar tab on your schedule and on the event website.

Display tables will be accessible as of 08:00 am on Sunday, February 16th.

Each display table (190cm x 60cm) will be covered with a tablecloth and will have access to an electricity outlet.  Table signage with the name and logo of each organisation will be provided.

Meeting tables will be assigned to scholarship organisations and regional universities only. The location of each meeting will be indicated on your personal schedule.

Sunday 16 February

•     Refreshment break – 11:30-12:00 in the Muscat Ballroom Foyer
•     Lunch – 13:30 – 15:00  in the Kitchen Restaurant
•     Refreshment break – 17:00-17:30 in the Muscat Ballroom Foyer

Monday 17 February

•     Refreshment Break – 11:00 – 11:30 in the Muscat Ballroom Foyer
•     Lunch – 13:00 – 14:00  in the Kitchen Restaurant
•     Refreshment Break – 16:00 – 16:30 in the Muscat Ballroom Foyer

All meals will be prepared to halal standards. Please contact us should you have any special dietary requirements.

•     16th February – 20:00 – 23:00 – Dinner Reception at the Zale Beach Club, Kempinski Hotel
•     17th February – 20:00 – 23:00 – Farewell Gala Dinner hosted by the Sultanate of Oman

A bus shuttle to and from the Al Bustan Palace, where the farewell dinner is taking place on February 17th will be provided. 

The dress code for both receptions is smart casual. Please note that participants not wearing their event badges will not be admitted. Please register your attendance by clicking the green “Yes, I will attend” button on your MySchedule page.

If you are attending as an accompanying person or a guest without a meeting schedule your attendance at both receptions will be automatically registered.

To ensure that we are able to provide the best experience for all attendees, we would like to draw your attention to two sections in our event terms and conditions. Section 11 specifically prohibits participants from organising any side event (be it hospitality, seminar, or tour), which entices attendees to leave during the programme. Should you wish to organise an event outside of programme times, where attendance is linked to the ICEF event, then ICEF must be notified in advance and approval must be received in writing.

Additionally, section 12 mandates that any event, seminar, party, reception or tour organised before or after an ICEF event, with the intention of attracting or inviting event attendees, must be applied for and authorised no less than three months in advance.

• Time Zone: GMT +4 hours
• Climate: Muscat has a  tropical desert climate. Infrequent rainfall can be expected during the winter. Temperatures in February range from approx. 12°C at night to 23°C during daytime. Clothing should be modest, as the Sultanate of Oman is an Islamic country. In the evening, light sweaters and jackets are recommended.
• Currency: Omani Rial (OMR). Credit cards are widely accepted, and ATMs are available. For the latest exchange rates, visit x-rates.com
• Electricity: 240 V
• Plug Type: G. Travellers are advised to bring their own adapters, as they may not be available on-site

For further details on Muscat, please visit here.

If you have any questions prior to the event, please do not hesitate to contact us by email at scholarship@icef.com.

We look forward to welcoming you to Muscat!