ADNEC to Host ADSG ‘Hiwar' Session in June 2015

Abu Dhabi - UAE: 27 May, 2015 – Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) is gearing up to host the next Hiwar session of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) titled ‘Effective Energy Management’ on 3 June, 2015. The ADSG Hiwar sessions are a series of sustainability seminars that focus on current issues through the lens of practitioners from the government, business and not-for-profit community.

This Hiwar session targets over 100 senior professionals concerned with sustainability and its implications in United Arab Emirates. This upcoming ADSG Hiwar examines and analyses the driving forces that influence the production and consumption of energy in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and UAE to evaluate their impacts on environment, community and the economy. 

The objectives of this Hiwar session include:

• Developing an overview and common understanding of the energy management issues and how they are able to impact key sustainability goals locally and regionally.
• Improve understanding of the challenges and opportunities these trends towards a Green Economy present for Abu Dhabi. 
• Global best practice, cross-industry comparison and raising awareness about the need for clarity on how we can manage energy effectively. 

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Acting Group CEO at Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), said: “Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company is delighted to host the next quarterly session of ADSG as part of our priority to build dynamic relationships with relevant entities to achieve sustainability and translate a significant positive impact on our environment. While pursuing our goal of transforming Abu Dhabi into an international business tourism hub, ADNEC seeks to strike the right balance between our business objectives and environmental commitments.”

Al Dhaheri added: “In addition to adopting the highest environmental sustainability standards and practices, we also communicate the importance of complying with such requirements to event organisers and other stakeholders by demonstrating the environmental and social benefits of sustainability. We are also in the process of preparing our first sustainability report according to the the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) principles and plan to issue it by end of July 2015 to increase awareness about the importance of sustainability in our activities and promote topics of sustainability.”

Huda Al Houqani, the ADSG Director, said: We are proud to have ADNEC as members and partners and on behalf of the ADSG; I would like to extend a special thank you to ADNEC for hosting our event and for their ongoing support to ADSG and for all their efforts in promoting sustainability in Abu Dhabi.”

Al Houqani added: “Energy Management is a critical issue for the UAE and the region. It is an issue that the Federal and Emirate level government have prioritised through many prominent projects including the National Green Growth Strategy.”

The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG), established by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in June 2008, is a membership organisation whose mission is to promote sustainability management in Abu Dhabi by providing learning and knowledge sharing opportunities for government, private companies and not for profit organisations in a spirit of cooperation and open dialogue. The ADSG was set up as a forum of members who have signed the ADSG Declaration, committing to adopt best practices of sustainability management and reporting and to actively participate in ADSG activities. The ADSG is open to new members willing to practice and champion sustainability in Abu Dhabi in a spirit of cooperation and open.

ADNEC officially joined the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group in 2012. Since then, the company has actively participated in ADSG’s initiatives through hosting several workshops and meetings conducted by the Group.

ADNEC offers 133,000 sq m of inter-connected floor space to match the expectations of a wide variety of events and exhibitions. Equipped with modern facilities and built to international standards, the venue attracted 1.6 million people across 327 events in 2014.