Global thinkers of WEF summit excited about visiting Dubai

The World Economic Forum, the organization mostly known for its prestigious annual gathering in Davos, is going to host the Summit on the Global Agenda in partnership with the Government of Dubai, from 7 to 9 November 2008 at the conference center of the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. There will be 68 Global Agenda Councils represented at the Summit, each bringing together the finest minds in its sector to propose solutions to the key issues and help shape a post-crisis world.

"The participants are quite excited about visiting Dubai and looking forward to seeing the amazing progress the place has experienced so far", said Salman Jariri, founder of DubaiBeat.com whose publication is accredited by the World Economic Forum to cover this historic event. "In our exclusive interviews with Summit participants, they stated a lot of interest about visiting the place", Jariri said.

For most participants, it would be their first visit to Dubai and that would make the excitement level even higher. "This will be my first time visiting Dubai. I think it was an excellent choice for the conference and I'm looking forward to exploring the city for a couple of days after the conference ends", said Sean Stannard-Stockton, director of tactical philanthropy at Ensemble Capital Management and author the Financial Times column On Philanthropy in his interview with DubaiBeat.

"I've never been there, but have heard many amazing things about the city, and thus look forward to the adventure with great enthusiasm." said Daniel Sperling, Director of Institute of Transportation Studies and Professor of University of California in his DubaiBeat interview.

Some other participants, though, are frequent visitors to Dubai: "This will be about my eighth trip to Dubai, where we have the privilege of teaching several programs for The Executive Office. Dubai is inspiring - I brought my son here on holiday last December because he loves modern architecture and Dubai is a showcase. It combines Arab hospitality and values with a remarkable cultural openness. It is the perfect place to hold an international gathering, and as an entrepreneurship scholar I am always stimulated by the amazing vision and energy of His Highness, evident everywhere one goes in Dubai", said Philip Anderson, the INSEAD Alumni Fund Chaired Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of 3i Venturelab in his DubaiBeat interview.

The Summit is going to have its opening plenary address this Friday by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The closing address will be on Sunday by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum and Mohamed Alabbar, Co-Chair of the Summit, Member of the Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of Emaar Properties.