The World Affairs Council of Austin, and the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council along with Protocol & Etiquette Worldwide are pleased to present the Advantage Dubai Seminar.
Join the Dubai Department of Economic Development’s Foreign Direct Investment Development Agency to learn about the innovation driven economy of Dubai. This interactive program will detail the 10 major innovation pillars of Dubai. Attendees will learn how Dubai serves as a platform to enhance business growth within the UAE, as well as further markets through its geographic location, human capital, infrastructure, government vision, and “can do attitude.” Additional topics will include the investment climate, leading sectors for U.S. export, investment, and business etiquette.
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Agenda
11:15 am Registration and Networking
11:30 am Welcome and Delegation Introductions
Mr. Ibrahim Ahli, Director of Investment Promotion, Dubai FDI
11:40 am Overview and Business Advantages in Dubai
12:15 pm Freezone Presentations
Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, TECOM, Dubai Internet City, Dubai South, Dubai Commodities Trade Zone
1:15 pm Q&A
1:30 pm Concluding Remarks
The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is a significant U.S. export market and an important regional hub for American companies doing business throughout the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The U.A.E. has a population of approximately 9.5 million, out of which about 85 percent is expatriates. In 2015, the U.A.E. registered a real GDP growth rate of 3.9 percent, down from 4.6 percent in 2014. Due to its vast oil wealth and relatively small population to which it must provide services, the U.A.E. is well positioned to ride out the current low-oil-price economy. To diversify away from oil, the government is transitioning from an investment economy to a knowledge economy. To this end, it is focused on developing new industrial and commercial sectors, including aerospace, healthcare, education, and defense and tourism.
The U.A.E. is a leading commercial center serving the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, with a significant portion of its import volume ultimately being re-exported. Dubai in particular plays a central role as a regional trade, logistics and tourism hub. Its economy has also been buoyed by ongoing construction and infrastructure projects in the lead-up to the Dubai World Expo 2020. While the construction sector has come under substantial pressure due to the prolonged slump in oil prices, the sector remains resilient, and Dubai’s planned real estate and infrastructure projects are progressing. Most notably, the expansion of the Al-Maktoum International Airport by Dubai Airport Authority, valued at $33 billion, is Dubai’s single biggest project.
