Read More: Best pavilions and things to do for children at Expo 2020 Dubai
Organisers say there is a “packed schedule” for visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai over the holiday weekend.
Highlights of the three days include British singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf, who is playing on Friday and Saturday at Al Wasl Plaza and A R Rahman’s all-female Firdaus Orchestra, who will close Expo 2020 Dubai’s Space Week on Saturday.
The scores of pavilions across the vast Expo site will have plenty of events and activities to keep all the family entertained.
There are also plenty of outdoor activities, such as cricket and football, taking place at the Sports, Fitness and Well-being hub next to the Alif Mobility pavilion.
The National has put together a guide on how you can make the most of your time at the world fair during the next three days.
Thursday
On Thursday morning there is a special event focusing on how women from the Arabic and Islamic worlds helped shape space exploration through the ages.
This takes place at the Women’s Pavilion from 11am to 1pm on October 21.
Later in the day, you will want to look up to the sky between 4pm and 4.30pm to catch a display from Al Fursan, the UAE military’s aerobatic display team.
This is followed by a performance from the Saudi Falcons, the Saudi Arabia equivalent, from 4.30pm to 5pm. Both these displays are best viewed from Jubilee Park.
From 5pm to 9pm, visitors will get the chance to interact with “five silly birds” that will come to life in Al Wasl Zone of the Expo site.
Water will come to life in the form of female performers at the Mobility Pavilion for the Moving Water show from 5.30pm to 8pm.
Fans of fables will not want to miss the Saudi Signature Performance Group, who will be presenting a dance routine to highlight the folklore from their country. There are daily shows at the Saudi Arabian pavilion at 7pm, 7.40pm, 9pm and 9.40pm.
Fans of live music are going to want to get themselves down to the Jubilee Stage at 8.30pm for a concert by singer Ali Azmat and his band Junoon that celebrates 50 years of Pakistan-UAE brotherhood.
Latin Grammy-winning ska-rock-fusion band Los Rabanes take to the stage at 10.30pm for a Panama Music Performance, supported by Panamanian artists Idania Dowman and Margarita Henriquez.
Friday
Friday has an equally busy schedule.
If you fancy something a bit different there is an electronic fantasy opera to mark Lithuania’s National Day from 1.30pm on Friday, at the Sun Stage in the Opportunity Zone.
There is bound to be plenty of buzz about the Bloom Bees show at 2.30pm in Al Wasl Zone, as beekeepers keep us informed about the vital role the insects play in keeping our planet healthy.
The Saudi Falcons and Al Fursan will take to the skies for another aerobatic display at 4pm.
The Jubilee Stage will be at the centre of the action when Hosny’s Band perform at 6.15pm, the group will be playing Arabic melodies mixed with western chords to create new twists on old favourites.
The Family Show is at 6.30pm with a specially commissioned performance of music, puppetry and audience participation courtesy of Saudi Arabia at the Earth Stage in the Sustainability Zone.
Poetry fans will be delighted to hear there is a special event starting at 7.30pm in the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre. Emerging poets from the Arabic-speaking world will be on stage for a two-hour poetry slam mixed with music from the KSA house band.
Visitors can also check out the Gala Concert on Friday evening from 8pm on the Jubilee Stage for a mixture of classic and contemporary opera and electronic music.
Sami Yusuf will take to the stage at Al Wasl Plaza for an hour-long musical extravaganza called Beyond the Stars at 8.30pm. He will be joined by musicians from around the world for what promises to be a memorable show.
Saturday
Saturday is the European Union's honour day, with opera performances taking place at various times during the day at the Sea, Sun and Earth stages. The gala show of classical music at the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre at 6pm features the work of Vivaldi, Bach, Paganini, Schubert and Beethoven.
Moroccan dance is the heart of the country's culture and society and you can experience a captivating display at Wadi Circle (2pm).
For the younger visitors, there's an episode of Expo mascots Rashid and Latifa's adventures on the big screen at Jubilee Park, with some surprise guest appearances planned.
The all-female Firdaus Orchestra will take to the Jubilee Stage at 7pm for their highly-anticipated show, following their performance at the opening ceremony.
The Earth Stage is hosting a Malaysia Truly Asia Cultural Showcase that will include traditional music, dance and cuisine at 7.30pm.
Sami Yusuf will again take to the stage at Al Wasl Plaza at 8.30pm for his spectacular show under the dome.
Fans of musicals will want to go see the medley of show numbers at Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre from 9.30pm to 10.30pm.
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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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
