Abu Dhabi: The 10th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, or ADIHEX, will kick off this week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) between September 5-8.
The event, which is held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, and the chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club, is expected to attract as many as 100,000 visitors over the course of four days.
Under the slogan of “Deep rooted tradition”, the exhibition’s main focus is on all that is related to falconry, hunting and equestrian activities with pavilions dedicated to manufacturers of rifles, hunting weapons and communication systems as well as falcons’ breeding, training and tracking equipment and so on.
Mohammad Khalaf Al Mazroui, Chairman of the ADIHEX Higher Organising Committee, told reporters that this year there will be about 630 companies participating in the exhibition, an increase from 596 companies last year. ADIHEX will also bring together participants from 40 countries.
Growth
Al Mazroui said that this year’s exhibition, which comes after a decade of when the first exhibition took place, shows how much the event has grown over the years. In its first year there were only 40 participating companies, he said.
At ADIHEX this year, an official announcement will be made about hosting the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak EARS (European Association of Racing Schools) Conference on Training and Education in Abu Dhabi in 2013, said Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Racing Festival.
There will also be an official announcement about the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak EARS Apprentice Jockey race which will take place on November 11 at the same time as the Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup and the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Championship (IFAHR) are being held at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
The exhibition will also feature several activities and competitions such as workshops and seminars on fishing, presentation on international hunting tourism, horse show with Emirati riders, a camel auction, falcon beauty contest, shooting and archery competition, a poetry competition on falcons and hunting, a competition for finest saluki, a competition for finest painting and a competition for finest photograph, among many others.
