It's not every day that press conference delegates are escorted in by larger-than-life foam creatures. Precisely what these are is initially difficult to discern. SpongeBob avatars? Teletubbies on the run?
Neither of the above. It transpires that these three pastel-hued characters are seals called Vichuon, Barame and Chumuro. They are the mascots for the 17th Asian Games that will be held in Incheon, South Korea in the autumn of next year.
They were in Dubai on Sunday as part of a six-stop roadshow to promote the games in Asia's "emerging" cities. The first stop was Tashkent in Uzbekistan. The show will progress on to Singapore, Hanoi, Delhi and Guangzhou.
The UAE has competed since 1990 in the Asian Games, which is considered to be the biggest multi-sporting event after the Olympics.
Dubai was chosen to host the roadshow because it is a "world-class city," according to the Incheon mayor Song Young-Gil. Because of its reputation as a hub in the Middle East, the organisers hope that news of the Games will filter from the UAE to other countries in the region.
Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed bin Juma Al Maktoum, who won a silver show jumping medal at the 2010 games in Guangzhou, will be key in promoting the event and was named the UAE's goodwill ambassador to the Games on Sunday. Quite how else the UAE will support the event remains to be seen. The UAE's National Olympic Committee promises to provide more details at a later stage.
Sporting events offer cities huge opportunities for promotion and attracting investment. The Incheon Games is no different.
"Seoul is well known," Mr Song says of the South Korean capital that lies 37 kilometres to the east. "Incheon is relatively unknown."
The city has invested US$3 billion in preparing for the Games - including the construction of 23 new venues out of a total 49. All but the main stadium are scheduled to be finished before the end of this year. The city has also embarked on constructing a second subway line, but delays mean it will be finished after the Games end.
Nevertheless, other modes of transport will be more than sufficient to convey the 2 million visitors that officials expect to descend upon the city. The government has put together a list of famous tourist spots in Incheon - including the Wolmi traditional park and the Eurwangni beach - to encourage tourists - 200,000 of whom are expected from outside Korea - to enjoy more than just the sporting contest.
The organisers are also developing an app for the games that will provide real-time information about everything from the weather to transportation schedules to results, and will also allow users to access podcasts.
"Incheon is very promising in the aftermath of the financial crisis," the mayor says, reeling of its credentials.
Its airport is the largest in South Korea and since 2005 has been named the best airport worldwide by the Airports Council International. The city has a sea port and an economic free zone and 22 million people live in the area, meaning there is a solid consumer base. Cisco is working with Incheon to make the free zone a high-tech "smart" city. BMW also chose Incheon to build its first driving centre in Asia.
Investment is important for the city but the mayor has even bigger aspirations: he hopes the Games will help bring North and South Korea together. He not only wants the North Korean delegation to participate in the games but to also see athletes from the two countries arriving at the opening ceremony under one flag and in the same uniforms.
This is unlikely to happen, his aides acknowledge.
But back to the seals. The mascots represent real-life seals that inhabit the waters around Incheon and travel freely between the two Koreas. They reflect the "aspiration for all Asians for peace in the region", according to information handed out by the PR team.
"Military tension is high right now,' Mr Song admits. "But we hope the North Korean delegation will support the Games. If we dream together our dream will come true."
