Just a heads-up, folks: Institutional Investor (along with the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy, the property developer Sorouh and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank) is putting on a forum at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi on April 28th and 29th. It's about the UAE's economy, and has drawn some big names, including the new CEO of ADCB, Sorouh's CEO, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi DPE, the CEO of HSBC Middle East, the head of government ratings at S&P's Middle East division, people from Abu Dhabi Ports, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council and the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development. The list goes on. (Pictured above: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; ">Nasser Ahmed Alsowaidi, chairman of the Abu Dhabi DPE.)</span> If you're an investor on local markets (or if you're just interested in the local economy), it's probably worth checking out, assuming you have a couple days off and can snag a free invite. There are a few panels focused on investing in the UAE's various sectors, and plenty on economic outlooks. If you can't make it, we'll of course be covering it in <a href="http://www.thenational.ae">The National</a>. A schedule is <a href="http://www.iiconferences.com/Customer/Mailing/UAEGIF09/GIF09_program.pdf">here.</a> More details: