Spectacular new facilities in Abu Dhabi are driving growth in the MICE market, says Michelle Mannion.
Step foot on Yas Island and you’ll immediately get some idea of the pace of change in Abu Dhabi. A desert island two years ago, it’s now linked to the mainland by bridge and is home to a Formula One race track, seven hotels, a marina, an 18-hole golf course, and what’s to be the world’s largest indoor theme park, Ferrari World. Things really do move that fast in the UAE’s richest emirate – but then, it’s hardly a surprise, given that 50 years ago Abu Dhabi was little more than desert itself.
It’s all part of Abu Dhabi’s plans for a life without oil. As it reduces its reliance on its natural resources – oil accounts for a third of its GDP today, down from three-quarters in 1980 – the emirate is building up its tourist trade to bring in revenue. The meeting industry is also a big focus – the emirate is home to ADNEC, the Middle East’s biggest exhibition centre, while conference infrastructure is growing fast. Gillian Taylor, business tourism and MICE manager at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, says: “I’ve been here for four and a quarter years – when I arrived there weren’t really any conference organisers, whereas now there are about six I would happily recommend. We also have many destination management companies.” These include Hala Abu Dhabi, launched by Etihad Airlines earlier this year.
Last November Abu Dhabi hosted its first F1 race at Yas Marina Circuit, which was a great showcase for what the emirate can do, Taylor says. “Formula One was fantastic for promoting us – it showed the world that we could put on an event of that size,” she explains. Stephan Vanden Auweele, general manager of Aloft Abu Dhabi, part of the ADNEC complex, agrees that it has generated interest in the emirate. “F1 has jump-started a lot of movement in Abu Dhabi,” he says. “A few years back it was in the shadow of Dubai, but now it’s found its own identity.”
Yas Marina Circuit has a range of options for meetings and incentives. The Paddock, the backstage area for drivers and teams during races, is a great option for events, with buildings designed in a souk formation. At Yas Media Centre, the high-tech main pressroom can be used for meetings of up to 480 delegates, while the press conference room has space for up to 100. It also has a 120-seat restaurant and a 450-seat rooftop lounge. There’s also the Paddock Club – 8,000 sqm of open-plan space over two floors, with views of the finishing straight – and 18 team buildings with hospitality rooms, offices, kitchens and a roof terrace. Corporate track days can be held on the course itself with manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW and Ferrari, while a driving academy is due to be launched this summer, featuring F1-style racing cars, Porsche GT2 and GT3 racers, and Aston Martin GT4s.
To hold all these racing enthusiasts, seven properties have sprung up on Yas, all of which opened in time for the first F1 race. The most spectacular is undoubtedly the five-star Yas hotel (theyashotel.com), the incredible space-age design of which is bisected by the racetrack. Its two buildings are swathed by a curving white steel and glass “grid shell” that glows brightly at night, and are linked by a bridge that crosses the track. The Rush bar, located in the bridge, looks right down on the circuit and has to be one of the best places for hosting a party, although giving it a run for its money is the rooftop Skylite bar, nestled under the grid shell with superb views.
The hotel drips futuristic style, with 499 rooms, a spa and eight restaurants. A 509 sqm ballroom divides into three and caters for 600 guests, with a light-filled pre-function area. Outside the ballroom is Palm Court, which overlooks the marina and race track – it features more than 800 sqm of lawns and can host 1,000 people. Six well-equipped meeting rooms hold up to 40 people theatre-style and open on to a terrace with track views. There are also four smaller boardrooms.
Grouped together a short drive from the Yas hotel and next to the Yas Links golf course are the other six properties. Two are Rezidor Hotel Group brands (Radisson Blu and Park Inn), two are from Intercontinental Hotels Group (Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites), and two are from Rotana (one is Rotana branded and the other was the first of its Centro offering to open). Being located next to each other means that if you have a particularly large group, you could spread people across the properties.
The Radisson has 397 rooms, international, Persian and Italian restaurants, a spa and a gym. On ground level is the 445-capacity Galaxy ballroom, which divides into three and has a pre-function space, while on the first floor are seven stylish meeting rooms, a breakout area with seats, newspapers and “power hockey” for downtime, and a business centre.
Next door to the Radisson, the Crowne Plaza has 428 rooms and a 600-capacity ballroom divisible into four, with a terrace and pre-function area. There are also four meeting rooms and a boardroom, all of which open on to a pretty lawn terrace. Dining options include an all-day eatery, a European brasserie and a Lebanese restaurant. The 308-room Yas Island Rotana is also geared towards the meetings market, with a 475 sqm ballroom and six meeting rooms holding up to 100 delegates.
Elsewhere on the island, and still on the car theme, the giant red galactic starfish that is Ferrari World is fast taking shape. Opening on October 28, three weeks ahead of this year’s F1 race, it’s billed as the world’s largest indoor theme park. More than 20 attractions will include three roller coasters, one of which will be the world’s fastest, moving at up to 240 km per hour, a G-force ride that elevates visitors over 60 metres through the roof, a virtual journey through Ferrari’s home country of Italy, a flume ride through the heart of a Ferrari 599 engine, a 4D experience that allows you to drive your Ferrari through ice and volcanoes, and F1 simulators. But it’s not all about cars: “Driving is part of the experience but so is having fun,” says Troy Lindquist, director of marketing and sales for Ferrari World.
The theme park will have special rates for groups of 16 or more. Details of the event venues have not yet been released, but Lindquist promises “an abundance of spaces for meetings, events and parties”. One is the Paddock, a replica of the backstage area at the race track, which will be able to accommodate events of up to 500 people.
So it’s all happening on Yas – but there’s bigger to come. Nearby Saadiyat Island is getting its own makeover, with even more ambitious plans – a whole new city is being developed on this 27 sq km “island of happiness”, with seven districts – Cultural, Marina, Promenade, Lagoons, Reserve, Beach and Retreat (see “Desert dreams”). Luxury resorts are in the pipeline, while the cultural district will feature a Louvre, a Guggenheim, a performing arts centre, a maritime museum and jaw-dropping design from architects including Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel. The whole island is to be complete by 2020, but if you want a sneak preview, visit the Saadiyat exhibition at the Emirates Palace hotel. Taylor at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority says: “In nowhere else in the world is this happening – since Baron Haussmann built Paris’s boulevards, nothing has been done on this scale.”
So in the next few years event planners will have even more attractions at their disposal – even so, Taylor is focused firmly on the present. “We don’t want to talk about just what’s coming – we want people to visit now because it’s fabulous now and there is so much to do,” she says.
VENTURE CAPITAL
About 15 minutes’ drive from the Corniche, a whole new business district is springing up. At its heart is the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), and it includes “exhibition lifestyle destination” Capital Centre, the Middle East’s first Aloft hotel, and the striking Capital Gate Tower.
Open since 2007, ADNEC is the largest exhibition centre in the Middle East, with 73,000 sqm of space. This includes 20 meeting rooms and 12 halls, the biggest of which holds 8,000 people. The white, sparkling U-shaped building is managed by ADNEC Group, along with London’s Excel.
At one tip of the “U” is Aloft Abu Dhabi, open since October. With 408 rooms, it’s an ideal mid-range option for groups, with excellent facilities you might not expect from Starwood’s “style at a steal” brand. Rooms are well equipped with all the mod cons a business traveller would need, there is a great pool and gym, and several food and beverage options.
Being part of ADNEC, larger events can be arranged in the exhibition centre, but Aloft has several meeting spaces in its own right. There are three meeting rooms, the largest of which accommodates 40 people theatre-style, while an outdoor terrace can hold 900 for a reception or 500 banquet-style. Rooftop bar Relax@12 has space for 300 people outside and 220 inside.
Across from ADNEC is the fast-rising Capital Centre, which will comprise 23 mixed-use towers and seven hotels, including a Premier Inn, Rotana and Element. And standing tall is Capital Gate, claimed to be the world’s most reclined structure, at 18 degrees. The 35-storey building is also owned by ADNEC and is home to the 189-room Hyatt at Capital Centre, due to open in the last quarter of this year. The luxury five-star property is located on floors 18-35, with four meeting rooms – like Aloft, ADNEC can be used for bigger functions. Meanwhile, five minutes from ADNEC, the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi opens in autumn with 281 rooms and 1,850 sqm of event space. Visit adnec.ae, aloftabudhabi.com, capitalcentre.ae, hyatt.com, roccofortecollection.com
TEN INCENTIVE IDEAS
1. Grand Mosque – this awe-inspiring, decadent structure is the city’s must-see sight.
2. Island-hopping – there are countless islands along Abu Dhabi’s coast. Try Lulu for a beach barbecue.
3. Qasr Al Sarab – a luxury desert resort set among sand dunes as high as skyscrapers. Visit qasralsarab.anantara.com
4. Al Ain – the oasis town, just over an hour away, gives a taste of traditional Abu Dhabi.
5. Hot-air ballooning – see red sand dunes from the air with Balloon Adventures Emirates (ballooning.ae).
6. Emirates Palace – dine in style at the emirate’s most opulent hotel (emiratespalace.com).
7. Heritage Village – find out how local people used to live before oil was struck.
8. Desert safari – go dune bashing, enjoy a barbecue and sleep under the stars.
9. Jebel Hafeet mountain – enjoy amazing views on the drive up the emirate’s highest peak.
10. Sunset cruise – sail the Persian Gulf at twilight in a traditional dhow.
CONTACTS
abudhabitourism.ae
etihadairways.com
ferrariworldabudhabi.com
halaabudhabi.ae
ichotelsgroup.com
rezidor.com
rotana.com
saadiyat.ae
theyashotel.com
yasisland.ae
yasmarinacircuit.com
