Dubai: The successful hosting of the Dubai World Cup, being staged at Meydan, is just the first instalment of a series of commitments offered by the project. Despite the praise coming in from the world of horse racing and international observers, Meydan Chairman of the Board and CEO Saeed Al Tayer is acutely aware that illustrations will need to be made on the viability of a project as big as this.
"It is not a question of are we going to deliver, but how are we going to deliver," said Al Tayer to Gulf News. "It's all about finding ways.
"When we unveiled the project under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we knew about the scale of the task. We knew it was going to be a challenge.
"Along the way we have been faced with questions for example, is this project going to be ready to host the event as per the announced date. We elected to stay quiet at that point and let the work speak for itself.
"I think now we have passed that stage. Therefore, it is only normal that people will now come and ask us the next set of questions for example, what is the long-term goal: is the project viable, is it sustainable?
"We have done a lot of homework in this regard. We believe that it is sustainable because, primarily, it is a self-funding project. We have put in place various plans and the question that I ask is: why should Meydan not be presented at this scale? What is stopping us?"
Al Tayer has got his finger firmly on the pulse of a project that he and his team have been living and breathing for the past two years. The chairman has been personally monitoring feedback from every available information source that focuses on Meydan.
"We have been monitoring Facebook and the discussions and pictures are rising in numbers. Friends are sending messages to each other wishing they had made plans to come out. We have even been inviting people here to witness, see, touch and feel this building, the conference rooms, the exhibition facilities at every level.
"Our own challenge comes from the fact that nobody has been able to come up with a programme, or a pre-programme that taps into all the possibilities offered by Meydan, which includes the racing district and the hotel. So even we are learning how to use it ourselves and getting the most out of it. We are exploring the full potential of this facility.
"Meydan is new to everyone but since it was a fast-track project we have been maintaining a similar pro-active approach. I would not be truthful if I said that we know how to use this facility one hundred percent. Everyday we find more potential for this structure. The challenge for the team is that Meydan presents a different level of usage after Nad Al Sheba."
Pioneering is probably the operative word when it comes to piecing together all the bits of the parts that make up Meydan as a whole. The introduction of giant LED display screens, the infrastructure, the width of the tracks and the synthetic nature of the Tapeta dirt track itself has seen the organisers venture into exciting but unchartered territories.
The Tapeta track, in particular, has been the topic of vigorous discussion among horse connections. Al Tayer has tracked their line of thought and the varying views.
More announcements
"I am always going to be biased in what I state. But I am keen to know the views of others. In fact, more announcements are on the way. How we have benchmarked the whole aspect of looking after the connections and making the experience enjoyable. How we have envisaged the start of the races to ensure that they finish in front of the grand stand. The width of the tracks — that we can run so many races without interrupting the turf which is one of the widest available.
"So technically, from the view of being user friendly and in terms of attractiveness the project has amalgamated seamlessly.
"Meydan as a project is intriguing," said Al Tayer.
"It is here to make a statement — that it is nice to be challenged, but it is also exhilarating to achieve."
On March 27th , the message will go out that if it is Dubai then it is possible.
"In retrospect, if I were to reflect, the only person who had the drive and courage to signal a project of this stature is Shaikh Mohammad.
"I am just part of the team. The long-term view and vision are his."
