Dubai to host Conference and Exhibition on Future of Coastline Development in the Middle East

Dubai will later this year host a ground-breaking conference and exhibition on the future of coastline development in the Middle East. To be held at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, Dubai from May 9-10, Waterfront 2005 Dubai will be the first dedicated business-to-business event outlining future opportunities in waterfront design, construction and planning.

Organised by Seatrade Middle East, the conference will bring together speakers from a number of countries across three continents.

Seatrade believes the project is a timely development as the Middle East leads the world in coastal real estate.

“The governments of the Middle East are proven world-beaters in this sector, turning creative and exciting ideas into reality,” said Chris Hayman, Managing Director, Seatrade.

“Massive investment in waterfront projects and investor-friendly policies are driving projects linked to spiralling growth in retail, recreation, and property ownership. Waterfront 2005 Dubai will showcase the future of coastline development.”

The two-day conference will probe the latest issues surrounding waterfront development, including investment risks, the challenges of land reclamation and dredging, environmental impact, water and land transportation links and infrastructure.

“It will also provide case studies not only from the Gulf and Middle East but from around the world,” added Hayman.

A powerful speaker line up is being compiled for the two-day event which will begin with an overview of the global waterfront development picture.

“The Gulf provides the biggest concentration of investment in sea fronts and new marinas anywhere in the world,” said Hayman.

“This session will deliver an analysis of the state of waterfront development in the region and what is driving its spectacular growth. It will also provide cutting edge examples of state-of-the-art waterfront design and explore how new waterfronts can, and should, be integrated into an existing city and contribute to its vitality, providing both physical and visual benefits for locals and tourists alike.”

Speakers delivering the global picture will include Luis Ajamil, President of the USA’s leading architectural and engineering firm Bermello, Ajamil & Partners Inc. and Professor Han Meyer, Professor of Urban Design, Theory and Methods of Holland’s Delft University of Technology, celebrated author of ‘City and Port – The Transformation of Port Cities.’

“Luis Ajamil’s company has been behind some of the world’s most distinctive tourism projects including the Gamboa Ecological Resorts on the Panama Canal and the Disney Castaway Cay – Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas. Developers looking to link waterfront projects with tourism can absorb much from his experience,” said Hayman.

A session devoted to ‘The Balance Between Residential, Retail and Leisure’ will probe the liberalisation and maturing of the Middle East’s residential property market and the role of waterfront development in its evolution.

“Delegates will learn the key to getting the balance right between the integration of leisure, retail, commercial and residential objectives in one development,” said Hayman. 

“The session will also outline marina development in the region, the growth of maritime leisure, the implications of regional waterfront development for the SuperYacht industry and the role of waterfront transport in successful coastal development.”

Session speakers include Sameer Al Ansari, Chief Executive of Dubai International Capital’s Dubai Yachting Project; Joe Goddard, the Manager of Dubai Marina and Daniel Natchez, the First Vice Chairman of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations.

Day two of Waterfront 2005 Dubai will kick off with a focus on major new regional developments in the Middle East, with case studies from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Dubai.

Speakers include Sheikh Khalid Al Gahtani, President & CEO, Rikaz, the name behind Saudi’s City Fanar project; Wael Ahmed Al Lawati, Acting CEO of The Wave, Oman; Nick Bashkiroff, Development Director of The Pearl-Qatar, the US $2.5 billion island being reclaimed off Doha, and Phil McArthur, Director of Marketing & Leasing, Dubai Festival City, the ‘city-within-a-city’ being built on the banks of Dubai Creek.

Key issues impacting waterfront developments, most notably ‘Quality and Sustainability: The Importance Of Getting It Right’ will also be in the second day spotlight.

“The quality of water is a prerequisite for all waterfront developments,” said Hayman. “In a climate such as the Middle East, great care must be taken to maximise the benefits of water retention, recycling and treatment. This session will also delve into land reclamation and dredging, how wave protection and dockside structures can provide beneficial environmental habitats, security issues for marina developers and cruise tourism and the scope for integrating terminal facilities into waterfront developments.”

Session speakers include Geoff Adam, Head of Marketing at the UK’s Port of London Authority; Dr. Waleed Hamza, Chairman of the Biology Department at the UAE University’s Faculty of Science; Professor Christopher Hopkins, Founder of Sweden’s AquaMarine Advisers and Chairman of the SeaCult Knowledge Committee established to meet the challenges of cultivating the ocean and sea bottom around the world and Mark Lindo, Engineering Manager of Rotterdam’s dredging and marine engineering contractor Van Oord.