Abu Dhabi makes international headlines during WFES

The global spotlight is currently on Abu Dhabi with over 200 local and international media attending the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 21 - 23 January 2008.

All eyes were on Abu Dhabi when over 3,000 VIPs and delegates attended the official inauguration of the WFES by General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The opening received a series of addresses from keynote speakers including, HRH the Duke of York and a unique address from the HRH Prince of Wales, via hologram. In addition to extensive Middle East coverage, the WFES has been covered by print, broadcast and online media from North America; Europe; Asia; Africa and Oceania. Those covering the opening included, BBC News, CNBC Arabia, CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Bloomberg, Agency France Press and Time Magazine.

"Abu Dhabi plots hydrogen future," BBC News featured, whilst International Business Times in New York, wrote "Abu Dhabi to invest $15 billion in alternative clean energy." Similar coverage continued in Canada, the UK, France and China and many more countries around the world. On Google News alone, there were 115 news stories about the WFES. Meanwhile, the number visitors logging onto ADNEC's website, increased by more than 100% during the week commencing January 20th with unprecedented levels of visitors accessing the site from more than 100 nations around the world.

Simon Hogan, CEO of (ADNEC) said, "WFES, ADNEC and the emirate of Abu Dhabi as a whole received outstanding media support nationally and around the world. One of the primary reasons for the creation of the new state-of-the-art exhibition facilities in Abu Dhabi was to assist the leadership's aim of increasing international awareness of Abu Dhabi. Events such as WFES generate a huge amount of positive publicity for Abu Dhabi and help establish the region as a hub for international events on this scale.

Work on phase two of ADNEC is well underway, with the Dh580 million ($158 million) project scheduled for completion later this year. Completion of the second phase will see the venue double in size to become the Middle East's largest purpose-built exhibition centre.

- Emirates News Agency, WAM