International Events: A Comparative Study
International Cultural Events: A Comparative Study
1. Qasr Al Hosn Festival
Qasr Al Hosn Festival is the foremost cultural and historical celebration in Abu Dhabi. As stated in the 2013 Festival site, “the festival is an annual celebration of the more than 250-year-old fort and centuries of authentic Emirati culture and tradition”. Thousands of people attended the festival in 2013 and 2014 in order to celebrate the iconic birthplace of Abu Dhabi (2013 Festival site). This festival involves a variety of fund and educational activities that provide both the UAE community and visitors worldwide with an opportunity to experience the great heritage of the Emirate. Qasr Al Hosn Festival fits to the category of cultural events because this festival was designed to reflect centuries of Emirati and Abu Dhabi history. In addition, the recent festival presented the Qasr Al Hosn fort as an integral part of today’s cultural life of Abu Dhabi. The 2014 festival also arranged demonstrations of traditional Emirati skills and workshops on art and culture. The visitors had an interactive experience in the recent festival, and that helped them understand the historical significance of this fort in Abu Dhabi’s development.
2. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (The Fringe) is the largest arts festival in the world, and it started in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival. In the 2012 event that lasted 25 days, there were over 2,695 shows from 47 countries. This festival is conducted annually in the capital of Scotland in the month of August. The Fringe gives an extensive exposure for performing arts such as theatre and comedy, dance, and music. Theatre and comedy gained substantial growth in the recent years with 36% of comedy shows and 28% of theatrical production in 2012. It is interesting to see that The Fringe has no selection committee because it is an unjuried festival; therefore any type of performance may be allowed. Undoubtedly, The Fringe is a cultural event because it gives global artists the best platform to express the cultural norms and traditions of various nations and regions across the globe.
A Brief Comparison
While comparing the international cultural event ‘The Fringe’ and the Abu Dhabi based Qasr Al Hosn Festival, it seems that both these events have entirely different visions. The Fringe intends to encourage performing arts such as theatre and comedy (see Appendix 2) whereas the Qasr Al Hosn Festival reflects the Emirati culture and tradition over the last two and half centuries (see Appendix 1). When the Qasr Al Hosn Festival tries to give visitors an interactive experience through workshops, fun, and educational programs, The Fringe does not foster active involvement of visitors in the event. The essence of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival is the history of the Qasr Al Hosn fort, but The Fringe does not emphasize the historical importance of any place or monument. A major similarity between The Fringe and the Qasr Al Hosn Festival is that both these cultural events take place annually.
B. Sports Events
1. F1
The FIA Formula One World Championship, commonly known as Formula 1 or F1, is a well popular and highest class single-seat auto racing approved by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The F1 season comprises a series of races called Grands Prix and purpose-built racing circuits, and this auto race takes place in public roads. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the formula one race held at Abu Dhabi. It was announced in UAE, and the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on November 2009 at the Yas Marina Circuit. The inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race was the first day-night race in the history of F1, and Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing won this race. The 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will conclude the race of the 2014 F1 Season. Auto racing has been a major sport event even though only European countries hosted it in olden days. However, today Asian countries like Abu Dhabi and India host an increasing number of F1 races.
2. Wimbledon
The Wimbledon Championships or simply Wimbledon is the world’s oldest tennis tournament and one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. When the Australian Open shifted to hard court, Wimbledon became the only Grand Slam tournament still played on grass surface. The Wimbledon takes place over late June and early July and is prominent for the absence of sponsor advertising around the playing court. In each year, five major, junior, and invitational events take place. In 2009, a retractable roof was fitted at the Center Court of Wimbledon to eliminate the playing time loss due to rain. Evidently, Wimbledon is a globally accepted sporting event that gains wider media coverage and international attention. Economically and industrially developed countries like US, UK, and Australia particularly encourage this sport event. To take advantages of the increased international acceptance of this major sport event, corporate enterprises seek to hire Wimbledon players to promote their products and services.
A brief comparison
On a comparison, it is clear that both Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Wimbledon are high profile sport events that generate millions of dollars in revenues (see Appendix 4). Although Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a UAE based sport event, it is noticed globally as it is conducted as part of the Formula One World Championship (see Appendix 3). Unfortunately, UAE people have not gained noticeable achievements either in Wimbledon or Formula One. As compared to Wimbledon, F1 appears to be a less popular sporting event, and only a few can participate in this auto racing sport due to the unaffordability of training and racing expenditures. Large area is required for constructing F1 racing circuits whereas Wimbledon does not need such huge space availability. The most noticeable difference between these sporting events is that Wimbledon is an indoor game whereas F1 is an outdoor sport. In addition, F1 race involves high risk while compared to Wimbledon. C. Business Events
1. ADIHEX
As described in ADNEC website, “Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western region, and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers’ Club” (ADNEC). Since its launch in 2003, this business event has been the only consumer and trade event in the Middle East for equestrian, weaponry, safari, outdoor and marine sports, arts and antiques, and many other items. Camel auction, lure coursing demonstration, art and photography competitions, saluki beauty contest, and traditional hunting are some of the marked features of this high profile business event. ADHEX has decided to host exciting online competitions this year. Visitors have the opportunity to buy the latest equestrian, hunting, and other equipments from more than 600 brands. Therefore, ADHEX really fits to the category of business event.
2. New York’s International Beauty Show
The New York’s International Beauty Show is a major global business event in which roughly 63,000 salon owners and beauty professional worldwide participate (IBSnewyork). The participants of this show will be passionate and determined to build their careers and increase their net profits. By attending this international beauty show at New York, these beauty professionals try to identify latest trends and techniques from leading educators, exhibitors, and platform artists in the industry. In other words, the beauty show can also assist professionals to develop innovative business ideas, and thereby confront with growing market competition successfully. This beauty show falls under the category of international business event because it gives beauty professional worldwide a potential platform to discuss their thoughts and ideas and to design more viable business practices. In addition, it may also benefit beauty professionals to eliminate practices that would not fit the interests of the modern beauty industry.
A brief comparison
While comparing ADIHEX and New York’s International Beauty Show, it is clear that the former intends to promote the cultural products and other unique facilities of Abu Dhabi (see Appendix 5) whereas the latter aims to keep beauty professionals well informed of the latest trends and techniques in the industry (see Appendix 6). Both these business events are held annually. ADIHEX focuses on the trade of a variety of items while the International Beauty Show does not intend to promote the physical delivery of beauty products. As compared to ADIHEX, the Beauty Show has arranged comprehensive online facilities to attract visitors for the next year’s event.
References
ADNEC. (2014). Abu Dabi 2014. Retrieved from http://www.adnec.ae/adnec/whatson/eventdetails/abu-dhabi-international-hunting-and-equestrian-exhibition-(adihex)
IBSnewyork. Retrieved from http://www.ibsnewyork.com/
2013 Festival site. The Show. Retrieved from http://www.qasralhosnfestival.ae/the-festival/about-the-festival/the-show/
Appendix
- http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/general/qasr-al-hosn-festival-to-throw-light-on-history-of-abu-dhabi-1.1292746
- http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/08/13/arts/13reuters-scotland-independence-fringe.html?_r=0
- http://www.usatodaysportsevents.com/ticket-packages/2014-formula-1-abu-dhabi-grand-prix
- http://www.newsweek.com/advertisement-shy-wimbledon-worlds-most-lucrative-tennis-tournament-255626
- http://www.thenational.ae/uae/heritage/adihex-returns-bigger-and-better-than-ever
- http://www.examiner.com/article/ibs-new-york-brought-the-latest-hair-and-beauty-trends-with-celebrity-sightings
