Gaming nerds, comic fans and movie buffs will have a chance to get their fix of entertainment in Dubai this week.
The IGN Convention at the Meydan IMAX on Friday and Saturday will showcase the latest from the world of video games, movies and art.
The likes of Wolverine, Lara Croft, Batman, Darth Vader, Dr Who and a host of other characters are expected to be seen wandering around the venue to the delight of fans.
Organisers expect to attract more than 7,000 visitors to the inaugural convention, which is expected to become an annual event.
They also plan to expand to the rest of the GCC, with the details of the schedule to be announced soon.
According to the event director, Abbas Jaffar Ali, they will be able to “bring in a good crowd” because of their established reputation.
“The advantage we have is that we run IGN and have a community,” he says.
IGN is the biggest gaming website in the world, Ali says. He hopes the extensive database of contacts in the industry can be drawn upon to make the event a success.
“That gives us a little bit of an edge, as we know everyone from the tech industry and deal with them on a daily basis,” he says. “It is just about putting them all in the same room.”
But another draw will be the celebrities expected at the event, including the WWE wrestler Kevin Nash and Naomi Kyle, who hosts IGN's Daily Fix.
They will attend question-and-answer sessions, sign autographs and judge competitions.
The IGN convention will include workshops on subjects such as how to create manga and animation, video game development and movie making.
There will also be a cosplay competition, gaming announcements, discussion panels on movies and games, trivia quizzes, comic book stalls and a video game tournament, the finale of which will be played out on the IMAX screen, which is the largest in Asia.
“That will be really interesting. I don’t know if this has happened before,” Ali says.
“It’s pretty wild. It will definitely attract a few gamers.”
The event runs from 10am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday. Regular entry is Dh50; VIP entry is Dh500. For more information visit www.ignconvention.com
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The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
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Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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