10 things to do today: Visit the Street Food Market on Yas Island, register for the Darkness Into Light walk, and more

Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for May 5, 2017, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. Aarti Jhurani rounds up 10 things to do today in the UAE.

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Abu Dhabi

Food festival

Visit the two-weekend Street Food Market on its opening day to sample fare from some of the best street food vendors. Featuring more than 20 home-grown pop-ups and food trucks serving fusion, burgers, hot dogs, pastas and more, the family event also has activities for children and adults, hula-hooping, mechanical bull rides, live performances and local DJs.

Today and tomorrow, May 12 and May 13, 12pm to midnight, free, limited spaces available, du Forum, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.yasisland.ae

Abu Dhabi

Golf event

Head to Yas Links to enjoy an open day at its golf academy. There are activities for the entire family – individual and group tuitions, a bouncy castle, face painting, pop-up shops and a variety of games and activities. There will also be exclusive offers on golf memberships, green fees and lessons offered on the day.

Today, 11am to 3pm, Academy building, Yas Links, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, www.yasisland.ae

Abu Dhabi

Film screenings

Watch film screenings as part of On Arab Geographies, a programme by Image Nation and Cinema Akil, showcasing critically acclaimed contemporary Arab films. The eight films include feature-lengths and shorts, from the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia and Lebanon, among others. Today, take a tour of the exhibition The Creative Act: Performance, Process, Presence, sit in on a panel discussion about Portraying Geographies in Film, and watch Nyerkuk by Mohamed Kordofani, Nearby Sky by Nujoom Al Ghanem (pictured), Omnia by Amna Al Nowais and Geographies by Chaghig Arzoumanian. The last three screenings will be followed by a Q&A.

Daily until May 6, tour at 2pm, panel discussion at 4pm, Nyerkuk at 5.30pm, Nearby Sky at 6pm, Omnia at 8pm, Geographies at 8.20pm, seats available on first-come, first-served basis, Manarat Al Saadiyat Theatre, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, for more information, search “On Arab Geographies” on Facebook

Abu Dhabi

Charity walk

Register to take part in a 5-kilometre walk in support of mental-health awareness. Darkness Into Light is a worldwide event in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research. The walk will begin in the dark in the early morning and continue as the sun rises.

May 6, 4.30am, Dh96, meets at The St Regis Abu Dhabi Nation Riviera Beach Club, Corniche, Abu Dhabi, www.facebook.com/darknessintolightabudhabi

Nationwide

New film

Spark: A Space Tail is the story of Spark (Jace Norman), a wisecracking monkey who lives with his friends Chunk (Rob deLeeuw) and Vix (Jessica Biel) on an abandoned planet. Zhong (Alan C Peterson), who seized control of the planet and wiped out Spark's family 13 years ago, now wants to destroy the entire universe, and only Spark can stop him. Animation adventure comedy directed by Aaron Woodley, also featuring the voices of Susan Sarandon, Hilary Swank and Patrick Stewart.

Screening at cinemas across the UAE (G)

Dubai

Concert

Attend a concert by Rodion Pogossov as part of the World Classical Music Series. The baritone will be accompanied by pianist Semjon Skigin in a programme that includes pieces by Mozart and Strauss, as well as selections from popular musicals.

Tonight, doors open at 7pm, concert starts at 8pm, from Dh250, One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net

Dubai

Music

Head to the final event of season 5 of Groove on the Grass, the UAE’s home-grown electronic music and arts festival, headlined by German musician/producer Ellen Allien, plus Octave One, Kenny Glasgow (pictured) and Hunter/Game. Plus visit the fashion and arts marketplace, and find activities and food and beverages from vendors.

Tonight, 5pm to 3am, from Dh180, Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, www.platinumlist.net

Dubai

Amusement park

Take your little ones to Motiongate Dubai to check out How to Train Your Dragon Land – featuring 12 action-packed rides and attractions, including four live experiences, four themed dining outlets and five themed retail stores. Based on the animated film franchise, the rides include Swinging Viking, a thrilling ship adventure, flagship rollercoaster Dragon Gliders, and Camp Viking, an interactive, adventure play area with dragon-training tools and duelling Viking ships.

11am to 8pm, tickets cost from Dh250, Motiongate Dubai, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai, www.dubaiparksandresorts.com

Dubai

Performance

Check out performances by some of the finest Indian classical musicians as part of Indian Classical Forum at Ductac. Artists include Aruna Sairam, J A Jayanth (pictured), Bombay Jayashri and Ramakrishnan Murthy.

Today and tomorrow, 11am, 4pm and 7pm, tickets start from Dh75, Centrepoint Theatre, Ductac, Mall of the Emirates, www.platinumlist.net

Dubai

Art exhibition

Documentary Drawings of the Kafr Qasem Massacre by Samia Halaby features a series of drawings from a long-standing project that depicts the murders of 49 Palestinian civilians by Israeli border guards in 1956. The images were created after more than a decade of research by Halaby, including interviews with survivors and relatives, translated documents and gathered images. Pictured: The Kafr Qasem Massacre of 1956, Killing in the Northern Fields

Daily until June 17, 10am to 6pm, Sundays to Thursdays; noon to 6pm on Saturdays (closed Fridays), Ayyam Gallery, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai, 04 323 6242, www.ayyamgallery.com

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com