When the crowds roll into Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday to listen to the romantic sounds of Jeff Chang, the Taiwanese crooner renowned as the “king of love ballads”, his gig will join a rich tapestry of more than 250 events from pop concerts and comedy shows to sporting bouts to have taken place at the venue.
Coca-Cola Arena celebrates its fifth anniversary this week.
To measure its impact over the years, you need only to look at the concert landscape before the arrival of the 17,000-capacity arena in 2019.
Even the most casual gig-goer will recognise the UAE concert calendar was purely seasonal, with most big events taking place on either side of the summer months. Not only were they held in makeshift stages in parks and conference halls, but the time frame often limited the number of artists available to perform in the region.
Opening at the onset of the summer months, the multipurpose and air-conditioned Coca-Cola Arena was able to land some big names en route to Europe for lucrative summer tours.
This included big-selling pop group Maroon 5, who were the first musical act to perform at the arena on June 14, 2019, followed by the likes of UK rockers The 1975, boy band Westlife and RnB singer Alicia Keys.
This year, RnB star Jason Derulo and pop star Enrique Iglesias are coming to the arena over the hotter months.
As well as breaking new ground for the regional concert scene, the venue also became a true test case for the global events industry on how to truly cater to a diverse audience.
Leading spaces in New York and London may have a multicultural clientele, but that pales in comparison to the diversity and concentration of population the Coca-Arena has to service.
This necessitates creating an events calendar tailored to the needs of specific genres and ethnic groups.
“The clientele for a South-east Asian show, for instance, has different taste buds than guests at an Arabic show,” arena general manager Mark Jan Kar recently told industry publication Pollstar. "The timings of shows differ, as does what is acceptable in terms of children attending, all the way through to the price points of tickets.
“If we, for example, undertake a Punjabi show, we create additional distance between the rows on the floor, so they can dance and celebrate.”
When it comes to Arabic concerts, the arena has actually helped some artists to up their game and provide a stage befitting their stature.
Whereas many traditionally performed in hotel grand ballrooms, Arab pop acts such as now regular arena performers Husasain Al Jassmi, Kadim Al Saher and Najwa Karam have learnt to read the bigger room and deliver a more interactive show in the process.
With the global live events sector temporarily devastated due to Covid-19, the arena also stepped up to help forge a path forward for a recovering industry.
In January 2021, DJ Alan Walker performed the UAE’s first concert since the onset of the pandemic, which had socially distanced fans dancing on their seats.
More milestones would follow, with the venue hosting the Inaugural World Tennis League in 2022, which came with after-match concerts by the likes of pop stars Wizkid, Neyo and Mohamed Ramadan.
This year, the arena showcased its Hollywood credentials by hosting the world premiere of Bad Boys: Ride of Die with actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the audience.
With Dubai's first professional basketball franchise to have the space as its home turf, the impact of the Coca-Cola Arena’s will be seen and heard for a long time to come.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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