Plenty of new venues have opened in the UAE – from Boom Battle Bar in Dubai, to The Smash Room in Abu Dhabi – giving residents more options for a fun day or night out with friends and family.
Here, The National rounds up seven things to do in the Emirates from July 17 to 23.
Monday
Popular Dubai venue The Smash Room has opened its first branch in Abu Dhabi. Head to Nahil Building on Al Rawdah Street, near Zayed Sports City, to beat the Monday blues, quite literally.
The venue is known for giving guests the cathartic experience of destroying furniture and appliances such as washing machines and television sets. The Abu Dhabi branch also has a cafe and a dedicated zone for arcade games.
Open daily 12.30pm-11pm; from Dh69; Al Rawdah Street, Abu Dhabi; thesmashroom.com
Tuesday
Head to Boom Battle Bar at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dubai – Jumeirah Beach on Tuesday.
The entertainment venue, which is an outpost of the famed UK spot, offers activities such as augmented reality darts, mini golf and karaoke, as well as an axe-throwing facility. Each activity has individual packages (for example, 30 minutes of axe-throwing for up to eight people costs Dh215) and guests can order from an a la carte menu of finger foods.
Open Mon-Fri 4pm-1am; Sat-Sun 4pm-2am; prices vary; Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai; boombattlebar.com
Wednesday
Head to Al Ain Convention Centre for the city's first summer sports festival.
Several courts are available to book in the air-conditioned Al Khabisi Hall 1, including two for football, two for padel tennis and five for badminton.
Open daily until August 20; 10am-10pm; from Dh50; Al Jimi, Al Ain; adsummersports.ae
Thursday
Catch Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael in action as The Galleria Al Maryah Island mall in Abu Dhabi offers three daily live performances of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this month.
The mall has also created Green Extreme, an activity zone themed around the comic book franchise. This can be accessed upon spending a minimum of Dh200 at Central Kitchens on the third level of the mall.
Daily until July 23 (live show) and July 30 (Green Extreme); 1pm-9pm; free (show) and Dh200 (activity zone); Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi; thegalleria.ae
Friday
Comedians Adam Bloom, Michael Fabbri and Red Richardson are taking to the stage of Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach in Dubai for The Laughter Factory's Leave Your Worries Outside tour.
Bloom is known for his high-energy acts, while Fabbri shows off his observational style of humour. Richardson quips cheeky one-liners.
Friday from 8.30pm; Dh160; Jumeirah Beach Residence; ticketslover.com
Saturday
Head to Sound Stage 3 in Dubai Studio City for two exhilarating boxing matches.
The venue has been transformed into a ring where two pairs of boxers will go head to head. The first fight is between Jazza Dickens from Liverpool and Hector Andres Sosa from Argentina, who is defending his International Boxing Organisation world featherweight title.
The match will be followed by a round between Muhammad Waseem from Pakistan and Filipino boxer Donnie Nietes for the IBO bantamweight world title.
Saturday from 4.30pm; from Dh75; Dubai Studio City; dubai.platinumlist.net
Sunday
The Time Out Market in Souk Al Bahar, Dubai, is hosting a Sip & Paint event on Sunday.
Leading the activity will be artists Rakhi Sawalani and Marina Roussou from the Desert Art Collective. Guests will be able to paint while enjoying drinks of their choice.
A ticket to the session includes three drinks from a set list, while participants can also order bites from the food hall's 17 restaurants.
Sunday 4pm-6.30pm; Dh199 per person; Downtown Dubai; reservationsdxb@timeoutmarket.com
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
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.”
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Mobile phone packages comparison
New schools in Dubai
The specs: 2018 GMC Terrain
Price, base / as tested: Dh94,600 / Dh159,700
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Power: 252hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 353Nm @ 2,500rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.4L / 100km
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
