Mega projects, path-breaking conferences

The first edition of Cityscape Abu Dhabi promises to be a big success

Following the extraordinary success of Cityscape Dubai 2006, the world's largest international business-to-business real estate event, the show organiser, Institute for International Research (IIR) Middle East (ME), is presenting Cityscape Abu Dhabi, which is debuting at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre from May 8 to 10, 2007.

Being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Cityscape Abu Dhabi is all set to replicate or even exceed the success of the Dubai event.

Mark Goodchild, Project Manager for Cityscape Abu Dhabi, says, "This is the first time Cityscape has ventured into Abu Dhabi and we have been overwhelmed by the positive response from the key industry players in the capital.

"It is an ideal opportunity for them to showcase some spectacular projects and to do this on home-ground to an international audience, obviously brings a great deal of pride and kudos.

"Moreover, with an estimated $270 billion in construction projects either planned or under way, Abu Dhabi has the financial muscle to attract regional and international investors looking for access to some of the most ambitious projects in the world."

Exciting projects
Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2007 provides a much needed platform to local and international property developers to personally promote opportunities to investors, showcase their projects to international institutional and private investors, network with decision makers in the property industry, monitor the competition and the global marketplace, build a database, establish new relationships with clients and reinforce existing ones, educate the market on their latest products and services, generate new investment opportunities, develop brand awareness in the region, launch new products and services, generate media awareness, source requests for proposals and exhibit cutting edge architectural design and construction methodology.

Over 200 exhibitors from more than 50 countries are participating in Cityscape Abu Dhabi, which covers 25,000 square metres. Exciting real estate projects from Abu Dhabi, the Middle East and worldwide worth over $600 billion are on display.

Exhibitors make use of the opportunity to network with key decision makers from real estate development, investment, architecture and other related disciplines from countries from the Middle East and GCC, as well as Australia Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the US.

Parallel conferences
In addition, two parallel conferences are happening alongside the exhibition, one focusing on Waterfront Developments and the other on Real Estate Finance.

Another highlight of the three-day programme is the Cityscape Real Estate Awards - Excellence in Real Estate Investment and Development, which complements the hugely successful Cityscape Architectural Review Awards held last year in Dubai.

The Waterfront Development Conference at Cityscape Abu Dhabi brings together international leaders in waterfront development planning, design and construction to discuss the key issues affecting developers and investors alike.

Waterfront developments are traditionally one of the most lucrative real estate investment sectors and have been taken to new levels by recent projects in the Gulf.

Speakers at the conference are highlighting the challenges these new developments have faced and continue to face. They are also drawing on extensive international experience to highlight how best practices can be implemented on a global basis.

With a special focus on Islamic finance, the real estate finance and investment conference at Cityscape Abu Dhabi is a dedicated forum for financial institutions involved in the regional real estate market.

While the world looks with interest at this region, more mega projects are announced and existing developments are coming on-line. In such a market characterised by innovation and bold new projects, the real estate finance conference provides an important and timely opportunity to professionals to gather and learn from one another.

Rewarding effort
The Cityscape Real Estate Awards will reward excellence in real estate development and investment in the Middle East region.

The awards seek to recognise and reward real estate industry professionals and companies that have shown outstanding performance and achievement in key markets and project areas.

The awards recognise outstanding performance in five key areas of the real estate, which are finance, marketing, environment, development and industry and are judged by a high profile panel of real estate industry experts.

Cityscape Abu Dhabi is to be complementary to the Dubai event and envisages a very successful debut. Major developers such as Sorouh Real Estate, Aldar Properties, Escan and Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), as well as Tamouh Investments have significant presence at the event as projects in the UAE capital top $270 billion.

Aldar, Aqaba Development Corporation, Escan, Sorouh, Tamouh Investments, TDIC are the platinum sponsors, and Dubai-based Amlak Finance and ZonesCorp are the gold sponsors.

Full support
Ousama Ghannoum, Marketing and Communications Director, Aldar Properties says, "Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2007 gets our full support. It is particularly pleasing for us to have such a renowned event here in the capital, as it will enable Abu Dhabi to showcase major projects to the entire region and beyond."

Quite apart from signing-up for major sponsorship deals and taking up to 2,000 square metres of exhibition space, Sorouh, Aldar, Escan, TDIC and Tamouh Investments are currently involved in projects estimated at over $60 billion.

Aldar Properties is developing the $14.7 billion Al Raha Beach project and TDIC the prestigious Saadiyat Island at a cost of $27 billion. Sorouh is leading the $2.5 billion Al Shams Development and Tamouh Investments is the principal developer of the $1.4 billion Al Reem Island Development.

All real estate projects in Abu Dhabi have been planned after taking into consideration the environmental impact of ill-planned mass construction projects. New property ownership laws were also passed last year to ensure quality and environment friendliness of the projects.

In total, 218 islands have been earmarked for development. One of the major developers, Aldar has advanced plans for 32 new hotels within the next seven years in Abu Dhabi alone.

The massive injection of hotel room stock will almost double the capital's current capacity and will complement the current $5.7 billion international airport, designed to handle 20 million passengers a year.

Major attractions
In addition to the upmarket tourism aimed at visitors looking for five star hotels in the sun, Abu Dhabi is now building on a strategy to emerge as a destination offering a treasure house of cultural and other attractions, and not just of the homegrown kind.

Recent announcements have seen deals struck with the Guggenheim Museum, The British Museum and The Louvre, all of which would bring priceless treasures to an 'Island of Culture' in Abu Dhabi, housed in spectacular museums.

"It would be safe to assume that Abu Dhabi will spring more surprises likely to rouse the interest of investors, real estate developers, and architects, never mind residents and visitors alike.

"Clearly, the emirate has the financial clout to entice investors, but it has also been blessed with a pristine coastline and many uninhabited islands that are magnets for sympathetic real estate development. With its natural beauty and excellent track record on environmental issues, Abu Dhabi has immense potential," says Goodchild.