Smart Living City Exhibition Dubai 2014

With the inaugural Smart Living City Exhibition Dubai just around the corner, Team TMN caught up with Masood Al Awar, CEO of TASWEEK Real Estate Development and Marketing, and organiser of the exhibition, to discuss what we can expect… 

This will be the first Smart Living City (SLC) Exhibition in Dubai. When will it take place and where will it be held?
The Smart Living City Dubai Expo will be held from September 15-162014 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai.

What is the concept behind the Smart Living City Exhibition?
Smart Living City was created as a forum and platform for the latest technologies and innovations related to smart cities and smart human capital.

What do you hope achieve from this exhibition?
We aim to showcase the major initiatives transforming Dubai into one of the smartest cities in the world. We want it to be a proactive stage for the integration of technology into all public services and key sectors, including real estate development, infrastructure, transport, and communications. The exhibition is intended to generate heightened awareness on the potential of ‘smart’ technologies providing the most advanced living and business experiences possible.

The SLC Exhibition also being held in San Francisco and Singapore from 2014-15. How does Dubai stand out as an ideal location for this exhibition?
The UAE was recently ranked first among Middle Eastern countries for overall performance in the 2014 Global Innovation Index – a report published by Cornell University, Insead, and the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Dubai.

How will attending the SLC Dubai Exhibition benefit media professionals?
The SLC Exhibition will provide media professionals with insights into regional and global trends in ‘smart’ technology, the latest and best tools and techniques and Dubai’s own unique vision of a ‘smart’ society. It will also offer opportunities to interact with and hear experiences from leading experts and decision makers in the field. 

Who will be participating in the panels and discussions, and what sort of workshops will be on offer?
Representatives from various technology leaders such as Microsoft, Siemens, and Cisco will conduct workshops. Attendees can look forward speeches from Dr. Mitchell Joachim, Associate Professor at NYU and Co-Founder of Terreform ONE, an architectural design group that incorporates ecological and synthetic biological concepts into urban environment, and Dr. Ryan Chin, Managing Director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research laboratory that explores the convergence of technology, multimedia, sciences, art and design.

There will also be three competitions held for startups to pitch their ideas on how to address challenges in creating a smart city and implement innovations.

Which panels and workshops will be of particular interest to those working in the media industry?
The panels and workshops focusing on how Dubai plans to develop new urban systems for a post-oil, connected world in the areas of sustainable mobility, resilient energy systems, urban food production, transformable live/work space and Big Data urban analytics will be highly interesting for media professionals. Workshops including experts and influencers from Stanford, MIT, NYU, NovoEd and leading public and private companies from Dubai also offer various media opportunities.

How can members of the media industry attend the exhibition?
Media members can attend the exhibition by registering online at www.smartlivingcity.com, or on the spot during the event.

Are there any future plans for Smart Living City in Dubai?
Moving forward, the vision is to turn the exhibition into a live forum consolidating international experiences that integrate knowledge across global cities. It will be a high-profile event that will share the best ‘smart’ solutions for a changing world.