Middle East Electricity (MEE), one of the world’s leading power exhibitions, has announced its theme for the 2017 edition. Alongside Dubai Municipality and the Environmental Council for Arab Towns, who are strategic partners for the event, the organisers will be creating a series of new features, conferences and activations all focusing on the future of Smart Cities and the innovations which are set to lead the way both locally and internationally in the coming decade.
The inaugural half-day ‘Energising the Smart City Conference’ on 15 February will feature sessions on how best to innovate urban energy solutions. Municipal leaders, electricity solution providers, and research communities have all been invited to take part to discuss how best to reach a sustainable energy mix that adequately supports rising energy demands.
The ‘Energising the Smart City’ Conference will explore:
How to better manage the energy cities have
- Making disparate electricity systems interoperable
- Installing energy management systems strategically throughout a city
- Investing in smart meters and grids, and then assuring an operational plan exists
How to improve the energy products cities use
- Why energy storage is getting so much attention, but little commercial action locally
- The difference alternative materials and manufacturing processes could make for users
- What visionary (impractical) projects such as Solar Impulse can teach energy investors
How to make cities 100 percent renewable
- Why cities worldwide are defining this goal statement
- Is regulation the answer, or will market forces provide longer term solutions?
- After roofs are covered in solar and grids are smart, what next?
“We believe that putting an increased onus on Smart Cities will transcend all our new features and content offerings. As the region’s leading platform for deliberation and growth for the international power community, our goal is to assist the Dubai Municipality in reaching their objectives set by the Government on making Dubai a fully integrated Smart City,” said Anita Mathews, Group Director, Informa Industrial Group.
To further streamline visitor experience, another new feature will be the ‘Smart Cities Zone’.Located in Zabeel hall 3, this dedicated area will feature smart, innovative products and solutions from leading suppliers that have specific applications in a Smart City; including automation and energy efficiency.
Also taking place for the fifth year-running will be the ‘Future Generation Competition’. Supported by Masdar Institute, students from Universities across the UAE will be given a platform to showcase their projects/technologies under the theme of Smart Cities. The shortlisted entries will have the opportunity to present their projects to the public, as well as a panel of Masdar Institute judges, with the winner being announced during an award ceremony on the last day of the event.
There will also be a raft of new features covering the wider power industry, including:
Consultants Arena
Located in Sheikh Saeed Hall 2, the ‘Consultants Arena’ will be hosting a series of interactive presentations throughout the duration of the event by some of the region’s leading consultants. The talks are set to cover regional building codes, project specifications and updates on the latest building regulations.
Technical Seminar Theatres
Taking place for the second year running, the ‘Technical Seminar Theatres’ will have a new design and concept for 2017. Four product-themed areas will be strategically placed in relevant locations on the show floor, creating a turnkey experience for visitors interested in a certain vertical.
The four Technical Seminar Theatres are;
- Lighting
- Solar
- Transmission and distribution
- Generators
The full agenda will be released closer to the date of the exhibition.
Guided product tours:
For the first time ever there will be a series of guided product tours throughout the exhibition floor. The products on showcase will include a wide range of cables, switchgears/panels, transformers and energy management solutions. There will be two tours taking place daily which will pass all four product verticals, which visitors can join or leave as and when they please.
Hosted buyer programme:
As part of an ongoing strategy to increase engagement between visitors and stakeholders, Middle East Electricity will be inviting 20-30 of the GCC’s top utilities decision makers who will attend the exhibition as part of a hosted buyer programme. There is will a dedicated ‘Hosted Buyers’ lounge at the show where industry peers can go to both network and do business.
EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: 14-16 February, 2017
WHERE: Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE
MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY WEBSITE: www.middleeastelectricity.com
