What to expect at the upcoming FUTR World event in Abu Dhabi

FUTR World which has been built as a collaboration between Retail Abu Dhabi, the retail platform of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), MP Singapore and FUTR Group, will be held in Abu Dhabi’s Manarat Al Saadiyat from December 9-11.

The three-day event will focus on innovation and entertainment across three distinct spaces – FUTR Live, FUTR Festival and FUTR Summit.

FUTR Summit
FUTR Summit is a B2B focused day, held on December 9, bringing together leaders from major brands, retailers, corporates and e-commerce who will discuss ideas and concepts. It includes the likes of Michael Ward, CEO and managing director Harrods who will discuss the future of retail with Edward Sabbagh, managing director EMEA of Farfetch.

Another key discussion to look forward to is the one titled “The new normal of e-commerce, m-commerce and marketplaces – the future of online” where the head of e-commerce at L’Oréal, PUMA & Ace Hardware will discuss the subject. Also discussing the power of analytics- based decisions and the future of marketing will be Electronic Art, Anghami, F1 & Namshi.

For those who want to understand the businesses that have truly impacted the way we work during the pandemic,  Zoom’s global deputy CIO Gary Sorrentino will be discussing the company’s learning during the pandemic, including handling 40 per cent company growth in a year and reaching $3.7bn in revenue.

For those who want to understand the businesses that have truly impacted the way we work during the pandemic, Zoom’s global deputy CIO Gary Sorrentino will be discussing the company’s learning during the pandemic, including handling 40 per cent company growth in a year and reaching $3.7bn in revenue.

Over 40 speakers will gather including brands never presented in the region before like Gymshark, Space NK and Tala.

FUTR Festival
Day 2 will include a lineup of progressive music artists across multiple genres with a focus on up-and-coming talents. Headliners for it include afrobeat icon, WizKid. His hits include “Holla at Your Boy”, “Tease Me/Bad Guys”, “Don’t Dull”, “Love My Baby”, “Pakurumo”, and “Oluwa Lo Ni”. He’ll be joined by singer/songwriter Alicai Harley aka ‘Hot Shot’ who with her dance-hall, pop, R’n’B and UK grime sounds has been listed as #OneToWatch by BBC 1Xtra and Capital Xtra. She will be making her first appearance in the UAE at FUTR Festival.

FUTR Live
FUTR Live will span across day 2 and 3 of the event, joining both big and small brands in an immersive ‘future of’ showcase giving visitors a peek into the technology, artistry, creativity and innovation industries are planning towards including beauty, fashion, wellness, travel, fitness, and retail. Expect VR, AR, AI experiences and inspiring industry first showcases.

It will also include performances by professional athletes, influencer meet and greets, and mindfulness workshops, among other activations.

Among the different activities planned, the Museum of Ice Cream immersive experience from New York will be making its Abu Dhabi debut at the event. Another experience will include a VR gaming experience hosted by Benefit Cosmetics style. It will give players a chance to play against their friends and to try exclusive products as well. Other beauty experiences include Abby Roberts taking to the stage, showcasing her behind the scenes tips on her makeover looks.

For space fans, a media and soundscape experience full of photographs, video and animations from launches, missions, space stations and Mars will be on display at FUTR Live, courtesy NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre’s Media specialist Rebecca Roth. Never seen before, you can even download the experience via a QR code on site.

Looking to the future of travel and Auto at FUTR Space, it will allow participants to partake in an immersive 360 audio-visual experience audio-visual experience with UK EV auto brand Arrival created by artists Jo-Ho and Intriguant.

Looking into the future of wellness, FUTR Void is an experience featuring UK at home beauty service Ruuby with never before seen in the region LED face mask tech alongside music produced by Planeswalker.

While UK food media company and cooking crew, MOB Kitchen will be at FUTR Live serving some of some unique dishes, you can also experience the future of food through the FUTR tastebud activation where attendees will learn how food will taste and where will it come from in the future.

Free tickets to FUTR Summit can be found here. Free tickets to FUTR Live, using promo code Partner Guest by clicking here. For more information on all the tickets, click here.