EDITOR’S COMMENT
Innovative UAE visitor
experience during events
I
magine the Dubai of the near future,
when you are one of the millions
of visitors landing at Al Maktoum
International Airport to attend a megaevent that unites the world for technology,
entertainment, or sports. Using a mobile
app, you have planned and booked your
trip, and when you land you find any
new announcements and schedules. The
airplane, airport, and event organisers
have advised the hotel on your room
preferences, and lined up special offers as
you take a personal pod to the event site.
These kinds of technology innovations
are set to transform the visitor experience,
and enhance citizen happiness, economic
competitiveness and cost savings, and
environmental sustainability, in line with
government initiatives such as Dubai Plan
2021, UAE Vision 2021, and Abu Dhabi
Vision 2030.
The UAE government has made strong
progress in taking citizen transactions
online. With one study showing
that digital transformation can save
government 1.3% of GDP, the UAE could
save nearly $5 billion with a wide range
of digital initiatives. The time is now for
the UAE to continue taking bold steps in
adopting the latest real-time technology
to drive innovation and support seamless
visitor experiences.
By exchanging global best practices in
technology, the UAE can deliver a seamless
visitor experience.
Barcelona is showing how Future Cities
can use mobile apps to their full advantage.
The Barcelona for You Tourist Network
analyses data in real-time generated
by sensors across the city running on a
citywide Wi-Fi network.
18
Tayfun Topkoc is Managing Director UAE at SAP
UAE event planners
are under increasing
urgency to use
immersive technology
to place audience
members and fans in
the center of the action
Using a similar app, visitors to Dubai
could plan and purchase tickets ahead
of time, and receive personalised tourist
recommendations catered to their
preferences. While traveling throughout
the city, visitors could receive geolocation based offers from restaurants,
shops, and museums.
From concerts to sporting matches and
mega-events, UAE event planners are
under increasing urgency to use immersive
technology to place audience members and
fans in the center of the action, and allow
them to share their experiences on social
media in real-time.
Cirque du Soleil, for example, has seen
strong success on a mobile app that audience
members can use to engage with the show’s
plot, access exclusive backstage content,
and share their experiences on social media.
Similarly, at the National Football League’s
Super Bowl 50, fans could use an app to play,
track, and share their augmented and virtual
reality football experiences in a Fan Zone,
and analyse game-day statistics in real-time.
In the same way that CIOs need realtime visibility across their businesses,
UAE mega-event organisers need to have
real-time insights on every aspect of the
event, from crowd heat maps to tr