Davos 2025: Sheikha Latifa on how the UAE is becoming a global leader in hosting large-scale events

Creating a better quality of life for people is at the heart of decision making, chairwoman of Dubai Culture says

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, chairwoman of Dubai Culture, spoke at the World Economic Forum about Dubai's ability to host large-scale events successfully. World Economic Forum / Greg Beadle

The strength of the relationship between the public and private sectors has helped the UAE to become a global leader in hosting large-scale events, just as revenue in the “experience economy” grows rapidly, the World Economic Forum in Davos has heard.

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, chairwoman of Dubai Culture, told delegates that authorities in Dubai were skilled at keeping people safe while staging major gatherings, which required the public and private sectors to work closely together. Her comments at a panel session came in the wake of a string of major events being staged in the UAE, including Expo 2020 Dubai and concerts by many of the world’s top musicians.

The live events sector globally is in the midst of huge expansion, with annual revenue forecast to break through the $1 trillion barrier in the coming years.

In Dubai, partnerships with the private sector are key to successful large-scale events, Sheikha Latifa said during a session titled "Mass Events, Massive Gains".

“In my experience and the experience of Dubai, the government is in a position where it’s moving just as fast, if not faster, than the private sector,” Sheikha Latifa said.

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“Couple that with all the investments that government has put into infrastructure, into different industries – into AI, into new technology – we have gained the trust of the private sector. From my experience in the cultural and creative sector, most if not all of our initiatives are actually executed by the private sector and that is hugely due to the trust they have in the government.”

Abu Dhabi and Dubai regularly stage major music concerts, having hosted artists including Madonna, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, the Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses. Coldplay’s four concerts at Zayed Sports City this month reportedly attracted 200,000 people.

There was one clear ethos at the heart of decision making by authorities in the UAE.

"There is one overarching goal within the government of the UAE and specifically the government of Dubai that feeds every strategy we work on and every initiative and every plan, and that is the happiness and the well-being of the people of Dubai and creating a better quality of life for people," she said.

"Culture is a very important part of social fabric. It's the thread that connects communities, it's the thing that formulates your self identity, your values, and it's the thing that really connects people and brings people together."

Expo 2020 is often used as an example of Dubai's ability to successfully host large scale events. Expo 2020 Dubai

Events in numbers

The 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics sold 12.1 million tickets, a record figure for an Olympics, while Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in 2023 and 2024 grossed more than $2 billion in ticket sales – more than double the previous record, held by Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which ended in 2023.

Anna Marks, global chairwoman of Deloitte, cited market research, indicating that the global live events sector was growing by six per cent a year and would be valued at $1.2 trillion by 2032.

“The impact that has economically is really significant,” she said. “It’s not just on the wider economic picture, it’s actually locally, to people in the local communities. If you think about the influx of people into any one city for any one event, what that does for local communities, local businesses, your local cafe, retail outlets, accommodation providers, it’s really significant.”

Ms Marks highlighted news reports suggesting that in London alone, Swift’s tour generated £300 million (Dh1.36 billion) for the local economy.

Major events, Ms Marks said, also had a positive legacy, with the Olympics helping to support grass-roots sports programmes for children and leading to the renovation of public spaces.

Getting the balance right

Sheikha Latifa said intensive planning was the key to Dubai being able to maintain rigorous security at major public events while allowing visitors to feel free and enjoy themselves. At events such as Expo 2020 Dubai, which have “many heads of state visiting”, Sheikha Latifa indicated that security should not be intrusive.

“There’s rigorous security but at the same time there has to be a balance between heavy security and people feeling free and safe to roam around and to experience this mass event,” she said. “I think it all comes down to rigorous planning, it comes down to collaborations – locally and internationally – with security from the UAE and international security. We’ve seen it happen on the ground with so many delegations coming in, many on a single day as well. It comes to a lot of foresight, crisis management, role playing as well."

Governments in the region are increasingly hosting large events as part of wider efforts to change perceptions, said Sir Martin Sorrell, the chairman of the board of directors of S4 Capital, a major digital advertising company.

"What's really interesting in the Middle East is we're seeing nation branding on a scale that we've never seen before," he said. "What's happening in the Middle East is the rulers of the countries are really thinking about not jut the sports positioning, it goes much, much deeper. It's political, social, cultural."