Soldiers in pristine uniforms studied the latest Russian rifles, arms agents pitched for sales, while business deals were struck over coffee in a quiet corner of the exhibition halls.
Remote working, it was said, transformed how the world conducts business since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year.
But Idex 2021 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) has proved that Zoom is no match for face to face.
The mammoth defence exhibition is the largest in the region and showcases the latest in military hardware. The UAE Armed Forces awarded Dh5.03 billion ($1.37bn) in contracts on the first day alone. But it is also the first in-person event to be held in the capital since the pandemic broke out last March.
We feel really safe and that's mandatory for doing business
Saeed Al Mansoori, director of Idex, has been working 14-hour days, seven days a week, to ensure the exhibition is a socially distanced success.
"It put pressure on us but we were determined to deliver," he told The National, regarding the challenges of safely staging an exhibition amid the coronavirus crisis.
“We wanted to deliver something the whole world could learn from. We want people to enjoy the show and go home safe and healthy. For me it would be painful to see anyone get hurt or sick. As of now, we are keeping everyone healthy.”
Strict measures were in place across 35,000 square metres of exhibition space running through the 12 exhibition halls. International attendees did not have to follow the mandatory 10-day quarantine in place in Abu Dhabi but all those attending had to take several PCR tests, including one every 48 hours to access the event.
Daily tests for attendees are available in 19 hotels in the Adnec area.
Volunteers walked through the halls enforcing distancing, hundreds of stickers dictated how people entered and exited while sanitiser and masks were strictly enforced. Anyone who left a mask drop for even a few seconds were swiftly warned by staff.
“Six months ago, things were unpredictable and changing. The facilities the government has built since March made us confident we could do it,” said Mr Al Mansoori, referring to the UAE-wide PCR testing facilities and vaccine deployment.
After the dignitaries made their tour of the halls on Sunday, the exhibitors and attendees got down to business.
Unmanned and autonomous weapons from boats to surveillance systems dominated the display. Waging military warfare in the 21st century seems to increasingly mirror a simple games console that wouldn’t look out of place in your own home.
“It’s my fifth Idex and I can see how companies keep on innovating especially in homeland security and defence,” said Charles-Hubert Dufour, of French anti-drone maker Cerbair.
Mr Dufour's company was showcasing the Chimera, a portable drone hunter that can bring down a small unmanned object. “We feel really safe and that’s mandatory for doing business.”
But these advanced weapons sat alongside more typical pieces of military kit such as the AK-19 assault rifle from legendary Russian arms company Kalashnikov.
The AK-19 is making its global debut at Idex and people crowded around the stand to get a glimpse of the gun that looks uncannily similar to the original AK-47 first produced in the 1940s.
The Russian exhibits were among the most popular, along with Emirati defence group Edge. The 25-company strong Edge launched a series of new products on Sunday alone including new unmanned aerial vehicles.
"It was fantastic to be back doing business," said Alan Peaford, editor of Arabian Aerospace, looking at the Edge stand.
“So much depends on face to face meetings,” he said.
“There seems to be a total commitment throughout Abu Dhabi to make this happen and to keep us safe. A lot of international visitors that I have spoken to have commented on the pleasant surprise of how well we have been able to operate despite the restrictions.”
By 5pm the halls had grown quiet. Many had gone to take the free PCR tests, while others mused on the hard deals won and lost on the first day of an event that seemed to lift the global Covid-19 gloom.
“All the feedback I received today has been good,” said Mr Al Mansoori.
“We had 5,000 plus workers to make sure this show is safe, perfect and people are healthy. It has been perfect.”
RECORD%20BREAKER
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
The view from The National
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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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.
MATCH STATS
Wolves 0
Aston Villa 1 (El Ghazi 90 4' pen)
Red cards: Joao Moutinho (Wolves); Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
Man of the match: Emi Martinez (Aston Villa)
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China