Flash Entertainment has advised Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concert ticket holders to arrive early to du Arena to avoid heavy crowding.
Hundreds of ticket holders waited in vain at the gates of du Arena on Friday night as they arrived to watch The Weeknd, but were turned away due to heavy crowding.
“To ensure safe and smooth access to tonight’s concert, we would like to remind concertgoers that doors open at 18.00,” the concert organiser, Flash Entertainment, posted on its Instagram account.
“Please arrive early to enjoy the Village artists and activities.”
English singer-songwriter Sam Smith is scheduled to perform on Saturday evening, and further large crowds are expected for Guns N' Roses on Sunday following the main race.
Flash told The National that it had not made changes to its security measures following the incident, but issued five rules for concert goers to follow: arrive early, make sure you stay hydrated as the weather is still warm, have your passes ready for inspection, know where you need to collect your passes from and enjoy yourself.
On Friday, the arena's entrance gates were closed for safety reasons after a last-minute rush of The Weeknd concert goers arrived shortly before the concert was scheduled to begin.
There was a crush when they attempted to push through the metal doors at Gate 2, and some ticket holders were turned away.
Flash said there were instances of “inappropriate fan behaviour” in a statement it released on Instagram, which it later deleted. They did not respond to the question of whether those who missed the concert would be offered a refund.
Some angry ticket holders said the issue had occurred because a larger number of concert passes had been issued than du Arena, which has a capacity of 35,000, can accommodate.
"It was a bad [decision] to give additional two tickets extra … lesson to be learnt," one user commented on Instagram.
Others said that arriving early for the concert was not feasible when the races finished just before 8 and it can take time to travel to the arena.
"The Formula 2 race finishes at 19:45. Will ticket holders still be able to get in with their paid ticket at this time? Or do they have to skip the F1 events to make these concerts?" another user commented.
Elsewhere on Yas Island, ticket holders for the performance of American-Moroccan rapper French Montana at Mad nightclub were turned away at the door for arriving “too late”.
They were left disappointed and angry as it had not been made clear that purchasing a ticket did not guarantee entry, but the club said they had reached full capacity at 2am and anyone who arrived later was asked to wait until others had left the club.
“I had a ticket to see French Montana last night at Mad and when we got there people who had paid for tickets were being turned away,” said Ella Rose, 23, a financial onboarding specialist who had flown in from London for the F1 weekend.
“We were told no one else was going to be let in.”
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Read more:
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Weekend — all the latest updates on and off the track
Crowd crush at venue entrance to The Weekend concert at Du Arena
Abu Dhabi GP concerts: The Weeknd brings his star power to UAE capital
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Ms Rose had bought her ticket last week through Virgin Megastore for Dh200, and men's tickets were priced at Dh450.
“It’s pretty terrible considering we paid quite a bit and I’m a huge French Montana fan,” Ms Rose said.
A club spokesperson said the policy was necessary for safety reasons.
“Everybody is advised to come early," they said.
"To guarantee entry they need to enter as soon as possible. If they come at 2.30am they come at their own risk."
It was unclear whether refunds would be available, but ticket holders were encourage to contact Virgin Megastore.
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
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.”
More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
Super Bowl LIII schedule
What Super Bowl LIII
Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams
Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States
When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Company%20profile
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