18 19 - Abu Dhabi Tourism

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Editor’s
Message
Is there an opportunity
here for a specialised
tour of our iconic
buildings?
Dear industry partners
I recently addressed a gathering of Middle Eastern hoteliers which gave me the chance to explore
with them the opportunities that lie ahead in stimulating travel to our destination. With Abu Dhabi
now more competitive than ever, in terms of room rates, we are in a great position to leverage. We
all recognise it’s a tough marketplace out there with hungry entrants – and that means we have to
spread our influence. We have to look at new markets, assisted by new air routes, such as Etihad’s
planned new service from Chengdu this December and Shanghai next March, while continuing to
court those on our doorstep and our old friends.
We also have to spread the word of where we are, what we have to offer and dispel any
misconceptions. This all calls for a mindset which I call: The I Factor. I believe if we all act
Inclusively, Innovate and Inform we will have the required Impact.
Inclusiveness is the all-encompassing attitude we need to embrace – that’s the whole industry
coming together to up the ante. We, as the tourism authority, can give you support, incentives,
events and promotional opportunities but we need your buy in and need you to leverage them – we
are In this together.
We have made strides in coming together and we need to keep the momentum going. Ask
yourselves, is there more you can do to activate around our events? Is the destination featured
prominently on your websites?
We are here to listen to your imaginative ideas – those ‘I’ words again - please keep them coming.
Mubarak Hamad Al Muhairi
Director General
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority
Dear colleagues
ADTA has been busy upgrading its destination collateral ready for the busy season ahead. We
now have ready an updated Where To Go & What To See Guide, Where To Stay Guide and Where
To Eat Guide as well as an updated Trade Brochure. You can request limited quantities via a simple
email to partners@adta.ae.
Also appearing soon at all our visitor centres are new postcard packs – including one devoted to
our expanding portfolio of iconic buildings. Featured in the pack are 12 iconic structures: Emirates
Palace; the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque; the record-busting Capital Gate Tower – the world’s
furthest leaning tower; the Aldar HQ – the Middle East’s only spherical building; Ferrari World Abu
Dhabi; The Yas Hotel – the only one in the world straddling a grand prix race track; the intriguing
al Jahili Fort in Al Ain; Maqta Fort in Abu Dhabi city; the simply stunning Qasr Al Sarab resort in
the Liwa Desert; the truly unique ‘Falcon’ clubhouse structure at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and the
remarkable Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel, which resembles a huge golden falcon perched on
the shore with its wings outstretched and is an engineering feat being one of the world’s largest tent
structures without immediate support.
Other destinations may be rich in historic buildings, we have an increasing wealth in iconic
buildings – and, of course, today’s iconic is tomorrow’s history. So it occurred to me – is there a
opportunity here for a specialised tour – that of our iconic buildings? Certainly a visit to Abu Dhabi
by my engineer brother suggests there well could be. He was ‘amazed’ at the Golf Club’s ‘Falcon,’
intrigued by Emirates Palace and simply blown away by the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel
which he described as “an engineering work of art.” Specialised it would be because we are not all
interested in the engineering which created these structures – but the fact is that many are – just
something for enterprising operators to think about.
For any other great tour ideas – we are ready and waiting on: partners@adta.ae
Barbara Saunders
Editor
We have made strides in coming together and
we need to keep the momentum going.
GL events Makes
Abu Dhabi Debut
GL Events: Aiming to become ‘Abu Dhabi’s
leading professional conference organiser.
With offices in 25 countries and 3,500
employees worldwide, GL events, a
leading international provider of event
solutions and services, has opened an
office in Abu Dhabi and has major plans
in store for the UAE capital.
“We plan to become Abu Dhabi’s
leading professional conference organiser,
we have key international contacts in the
industry and are working to attract them
to bring their shows and conferences
here,” said Yann Roubert, Middle East
Director, GL events.
The company has an annual income
of US $ 1 billion and an events portfolio
of more than 250 B2B and B2C trade
shows in 12 sectors, including sports
events such as the FIFA World Cup, World
Rugby Club, Asian Football Cup in Qatar,
Commonwealth Games and the Bahrain
Golf Open.
GL events is looking to work
closely with Abu Dhabi’s government
departments and expand its UAE capital
office activities in line with Abu Dhabi’s
2030 vision.
“We have eight international
congresses in line for Abu Dhabi some of
which will bring up to 12,000 delegates to
the emirate,” added Roubert.
GL events’ Abu Dhabi office extends
a Middle East network which includes
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Dubai and
represents the global company’s 90th
branch.
“The Middle East is one of our group’s
strategic growth areas and we met with
key industry representatives who gave
us great confidence in Abu Dhabi”, said
Christophe Draye, Managing Director of
GL events Middle East’s Abu Dhabi office.
According to GL events, the main
growth areas for Abu Dhabi’s event
industry are environment, energy,
transport, sports, life science and
healthcare.
“Abu Dhabi is a place where you can
link education with development and
we find there’s a need for professional
development in many areas of the
emirate’s conferences and sports events
industry, this is where we can bring our
25 years of international expertise to good
use.
“Abu Dhabi’s offering in terms of
exhibition and conference infrastructure
is already very attractive to the MICE
industry,” added Draye.
Gl-events.com
Business Tourism
The SIAL menu features
something for everyone.
Food Glorious Food
Visit SIAL, the Middle East Food
Exhibition at Abu Dhabi National
Exhibition Centre from November 21 - 23.
Expect to network with 500 exhibitors,
200 chefs and discover over 100 new
industry trends. The spotlight will be on
foodservice & QSR equipment, bake &
take, organic products and seafood. The
event also features La Cuisine du SIAL,
organised by the Emirates Culinary Guild
of Abu Dhabi where the talents of over
200 professional chefs will be showcased.
There’ll also be a Food Retail Forum
organised in co-operation with Abu Dhabi
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
More details from TurretME@wize1.co.uk.
Expo/Conference Licensing
Goes On Line
The licence procedure for all exhibitions
and conferences held in Abu Dhabi is now
online.
Licences can be provisionally granted
for up to five years subject to annual
renewal.
Organisers looking to apply simply log
on to www.abudhabitourism.ae and click
on ‘Register’ on the top, left-hand side of
the welcome page to create a personal
account to get through to the licensing
section.
More details are available by calling
800 555 or via email on conferences@
adta.ae or exhibitions@adta.ae
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