At least 100 buses have been commissioned to show an influx of visitors the sights of Abu Dhabi. But the more than 10,000 people who have flooded into the capital this week are not tourists but delegates attending the biggest conference to be held here.
The World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC) is held every two years in a different region. The event in Abu Dhabi, starting today and ending on Monday, will be the first time the gathering of eye specialists takes place in the Middle East.
"It is by far the largest congress we've had," says Humaid Al Dhaheri, the chief sales and marketing officer at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec). "In fact, it's also the largest such event to be held in Abu Dhabi."
Organising the conference has required coordination on a monumental scale, involving government departments, companies, hotels and even golf courses. Mubarak Rashed Al Nuaimi, the international promotion manager at the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and head of the host-city committee, recounts a discussion from one particular planning session: "The board member of Ophthalmology Congress was sitting at the table and said: 'We always face a problem with the airport.' And then the chairman of Abu Dhabi Airport said: 'I'm the chairman. What problem do you have? Here's my business card'."
The issue was that the conference draws many nationalities from around the world - and they need visas. At that point, someone in charge of immigration said "this is my card", Mr Al Nuaimi recalls.
Organising an event of this size is a challenge, Mr Al Nuaimi acknowledges, but the economic payoff is potentially immense. Visiting delegates are expected each to inject an average of Dh9,600 (US$2,613) directly into the economy. That projection does not include money for gifts or other indirect spending. The expected total spending of the international delegates totals Dh77.4 million, which helps to explain why Abu Dhabi entered the running to host this event.
Putting on a conference of this scale means it should be easier to stage other large events in the future. The efforts may also encourage tourism. A survey of delegates on the WOC website revealed that 75 per cent had never visited the emirate.
"We told [delegates] they can bring their kids," says Mr Al Nuaimi. "We can provide them with an itinerary for their family, and we said if they want their family to be with them, we can also process their visas."
To make Abu Dhabi even more attractive, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Golf Club teamed up to offer delegates the same special rate.
"As an emerging golf destination, it's in our best interest to showcase the terrific golf courses we have in hopes of attracting visitors back for a holiday," says Ken Kosak, the general manager of Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The conference's official five-star hotels, excluding Emirates Palace, also agreed to cap their rates at $300 per night for the duration of the event.
Arshad Hussain, the director of sales and marketing at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, a designated conference hotel, says the WOC is the only "grand slam event" in Abu Dhabi this year apart the Formula One.
The WOC conference "attracts all the leading ophthalmologists from around the world, so you can imagine the publicity we can get", he says.
The Fairmont, which began working on the project last June, is offering delegates a 20 per cent discount on all of the food and beverage bought at the hotel instead of offering a very low room rate.
"It has been a very interesting journey. But you can see the result for yourself," Mr Hussain says. "There is so much buzz in the market right now because of WOC."
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