In Pictures: Abu Dhabi is adding a 'Collectors' Week' to its already packed winter season

There will not be a sing dull moment in the UAE over the next few weeks. The peak season for events is cranking up and with the change in weather, it will be the action that will provide all the heat.

While Dubai is getting busy with the Expo, Abu Dhabi has expanded the scope of its retail and entertainment season. Retail Abu Dhabi, the retail platform of the Department of Culture and Tourism, is lifting the curtains on the first Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week. The festival actually runs from October 7 to 16 as a celebration of collectors and collections in the retail, design, entertainment and culinary spheres.

The event will feature more than 20 of the leading international collectors, designers and entertainers, with headline sessions from the ‘Uptown Funk’ star Mark Ronson and Turkish-American media artist Refik Anadol.

Another highlight will be the exclusive Collectors’ Prom, which will feature NFTs, a sneakers collective and a car emporium.

The anchor event, Semi Permanent, will feature the La Rosa Social Club created by American artist and director Aaron Rose. The Club will join up international design, retail, branding, fashion and tech talent. Retail pop-ups will include global brand Haydenshapes and exclusive merchandise from the House of Artisans.

“We are confident this exciting new addition to Abu Dhabi’s increasingly diverse events calendar will elevate the emirate’s local and international tourism offering,” said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi is going big on MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) mix in a tourism push. Being one of the fastest vaccinated cities in the world, Abu Dhabi is now fully geared for tourists.

The emirate has lined up events ranging from International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition to Abu Dhabi Boat Festival to prime the hospitality sector. Earlier this month, DCT Abu Dhabi incentivised tour guides by offering discounts across hotels, beaches, museums and other attractions. The new Tour Guide Incentive Scheme hopes to develop tour guides into experts of Emirati culture, heritage and themes.

In June, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC) launched ‘Tourism 365’. The new entity is designed keeping in mind Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 and Plan Abu Dhabi 2030. Tourism 365 aims to bring direct and indirect investment into the economy.

Tourism is well entrenched in Abu Dhabi’s roadmap for future growth. And with the Collectors’ Week, the city is getting a shot of glitz and glamour.