Abu Dhabi: Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 attracted 250 exhibitors from 36 countries, each showcasing their business-to-business schemes, joint ventures, partnerships, speculative investments and strategic plans.
Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the newly appointed managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), chairman of General Holding Corporation, and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, yesterday opened Cityscape Abu Dhabi.
The event at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) comprised conferences, seminars with over 800 chief executives, international investors, developers, government and investment authorities, architects, designers, consultant and also senior professionals involved in real estate design and construction.
They were joined by exhibitors from the UAE, Switzerland, Hong Kong, the United States, Jordan, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, Sudan, France, Mexico, Lebanon, Canada, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore, Ireland, Kuwait, Australia, Germany, China and Poland.
"The world has changed and Cityscape is no longer about people scrambling for off-plan properties to flip as quickly as possible," Rohan Marwaha, managing director of Cityscape, said in a statement.
Diversification
"Abu Dhabi is diversifying its oil-dependent economy with real estate and infrastructure projects costing more than $300 billion (Dh1.1 trillion), which is capturing world attention."
Following the inauguration, Shaikh Hamed toured the exhibition and visited various stalls which included Aldar, Green Bloom, and the Urban Planning Council (UPC), which showcased a huge scale model of how the capital city will appear in 2030.
The scale model forms the centrepiece of this year's Cityscape Abu Dhabi.
The display, whose measurements are 23 metres by 17 metres, is the biggest single model on show at Cityscape. It showcases major urban planning initiatives, bringing together economic, cultural, environmental and social aspirations of Abu Dhabi in a single format.
The model covers an area from the Corniche on Abu Dhabi's main island to Shahama, Mussafah and Al Falah on the mainland and includes the islands of Sa'adiyat, Yas, Lulu, Reem and Sowwah.
Abu Dhabi Exhibition organisers confirmed that disruptions in the global aviation industry caused by the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano had affected attendance on the first day of the Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 event.
"Cityscape Abu Dhabi has captured the world's attention with its well-developed plans for strategic projects. Unfortunately, the catastrophic event thousands of kilometres away in Iceland has had an impact here in Abu Dhabi," Rohan Marwaha, managing director of Cityscape.
"Undoubtedly thousands of potential visitors from Europe and the Americas have been unable to get flights. Apart from the disruption caused by the Iceland volcano, we expect opening day visitor numbers to be on a par with last year."
Running alongside Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 will be a new component to the event — CityBuild Abu Dhabi.
CityBuild Abu Dhabi is an international trade show for the building and construction industry bringing together suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, architects, engineers, importers and procurement decision makers.
The headline sponsor of Cityscape Abu Dhabi 2010 is Mubadala Real Estate and Hospitality.
The platinum sponsors are Al Qudra Real Estate, Al Maabar and Aldar Properties.
The associate sponsor is the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipal Affairs.
Future views
- The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council unveils the first ever life size model of Abu Dhabi's urban landscape as envisioned through Capital 2030
- 30 projects will be showcased by the Department of Municipal Affairs in Abu Dhabi, along with Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region municipalities
- The design of the Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Sowwah Island being developed with Mubadala will be seen
- The new masterplan for Abu Dhabi's Mushrif Central Park by Seba Properties will be exhibited
- Baniyas Investment and Development Company's Bawabat Al Sharq Apartments are on show
- Harrods Estates, the property division of the renowned Knightsbridge store in London are taking part for the first time
- International property agency Chesterton will also showcase exclusive London residential properties and developments
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