Smart Living City Dubai 2014 inaugurated amidst strong regional and international participation

• United Nations participates at event to showcase Dubai as an example of a Smart City

• Stanford Engineering School’s Robert Sutton conducts workshop on ‘Leadership and Scaling up Excellence’

[UAE, September 15, 2014] – H.E. Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minster of Economy inaugurated today (Monday, September 15, 2014) the first-ever Smart Living City Dubai 2014, the Dubai edition of the biannual event that focuses on highly successful local and international ‘smart’ startups, at the Jumeirah Emirates Tower in Dubai. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Masood Al Awar, CEO, TASWEEK Real Estate Marketing and Development; Kamran Saddique, CEO, Inside Investor; and several dignitaries, senior representatives from Dubai Government, and officials from leading global technology corporations.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the show runs until September 16, 2014. The event officially opened with welcome notes by Masood Al Awar and Kamran Saddique, followed by an opening speech by H.E. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri. Included in the first day’s agenda are Panel Discussions on ‘Creating a Smart Ecosystem,’ ‘Big Data and Smart Government Solutions,’ ‘Leadership and Scaling up Excellence,’ and ‘Future of Education’.

The United Nations (UN) is participating at Smart Living City Dubai 2014 where its representatives presented highly informative keynotes. H.E. Sayed Aqa, UN Resident Coordinator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in the UAE, Qatar, and Oman, spoke on ‘Dubai as an example of a smart city and outlining various government initiatives for its success along with importance of such events to build momentum for a global strategized plan.’ ‘Themes and events necessary for sustained economic development locally and globally’ was presented by Mahmood Al Asmawi, Economic Development Portfolio Manager for UN.

Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science at the Stanford Engineering School held a workshop on ‘Leadership and Scaling up Excellence’ where he discussed leadership and excellence challenges faced by organizations from diverse industries. The first session focused on how successful leaders and organizations are able to develop, motivate, and instill the right mindsets in their people, while the second revealed key principles that help leaders and their teams to achieve excellence.

Masood Al Awar said: “Only technologically advanced cities can effectively and efficiently cater to a growing urban population and expanding city boundaries. Smart cities are built on the notion of offering a wide range of services, including government, leisure and emergency, via a single platform accessed from anywhere in the world to enhance the quality of life of city dwellers. Today, we have gathered at the inaugural Smart Living City Dubai 2014 to outline the roadmap of a smart city. In line with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to make the emirates a smart city in next three years, the event will serve as a gateway for global corporations to assess the local and regional smart city markets.”

Featuring three main themes – High-Level Discussion Panels, Exhibitions of Local and International Smart Solutions, and Master Classes for Participants – Smart Living City Dubai 2014 will host over 17 exhibitors and 39 speakers from around the world. Some of the leading public and private organizations participating in the two-day event include the Government of Dubai, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Microsoft, Terreform ONE and HBMSU. Smart Living City Dubai 2014 is organized by TASWEEK Real Estate Marketing and Development and Inside Investor.

For more information, please visit www.smartlivingcity.com  and www.incept.co.