Adnec signs deal to bring more events to Abu Dhabi



Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) has signed a deal with Index Conferences and Exhibitions to attract more events to the capital.

The Dubai-based firm, which has opened an office in Adnec, will initially bring four new events to Abu Dhabi.

Adnec will host Children & Parents World Exhibition, Lifestyle Exhibition, Media Communication & Content World Conference and Atech World Conference and Exhibition this year and next.

Index will primarily target Arabian Gulf visitors and global exhibitors to drive footfall and business opportunities at the events.

“We face a big task to create an environment that encourages both visitors and exhibitors,” said Abdul Salam Al Madani, the chairman of Index. “A viable and vibrant conference space needs the cooperation of tourism, transport, hospitality and commerce departments.

“Abu Dhabi now has the infrastructure that is needed to host and house international visitors. It is not just about footfall, it is about attracting the right people to speak to the right exhibitors to foster business.”

Index was established in Dubai in 1991 organising events nationally, regionally and internationally. It targets 25 per cent growth annually but is not expecting those returns from Abu Dhabi immediately.

Abu Dhabi recorded double-digit growth at its main ex­hi­bition centres last year as the emirate hosted more big conventions.

Adnec and Al Ain Convention Centre together hosted 369 events in 2015, an increase of 13 per cent on the 327 events from the previous year. They drew 1.8 million visitors.

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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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