The big talking point over the past few months has been the global economic crisis, and how it may affect the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular. I am sure readers will have seen all the recent local news and indeed will form their own impressions. Sadly, though not surprisingly, I am not in a position to solve the crisis. However we sense that Abu Dhabi is well prepared to cope with the turbulence over the forthcoming months and should come out at the other end in relatively good shape. On this theme, I have been told by a number of Emirati contacts to encourage UK companies currently in Abu Dhabi to stay and ride out the storm. This kind of commitment will be appreciated when conditions ease.

Interestingly, during these times I have, if anything, seen an increase in interest in Abu Dhabi. Our visitors from the UK have increased considerably since the end of last year and many are enthused by what they find in Abu Dhabi. Many of you will be seeing the same thing. I have also noticed another sign of the times. Many UK companies are now turning their attention to attracting investment from Abu Dhabi for various projects in the UK. Another indicator is the number of legal companies setting up here, about which, no doubt, which our Chairman will have mixed feelings!

We have had several significant visits recently with the Lord Mayor of London plus around 30 businessmen in February and the visits of the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, again with a sizeable business delegation, and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Business and Enterprise in April. They are a huge help in keeping Abu Dhabi at the forefront of thoughts in the UK and well worth the effort that goes in to them.

I recently paid a visit to the newly-founded Abu Dhabi Media Zone. They told me that they are committed to establishing Abu Dhabi as a centre of excellence for media content creation where all types of media businesses including film, television, broadcasting, music, digital media, gaming, publishing and associated commercial functions can operate in a creative, purpose-built environment that will be called twofour54 (the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi).

They aim to place creative companies at the heart of the Arab world and to provide the production tools, the training facilities, the business support, the access to funding and transparent regulations in an environment where these companies can create world class content. They have some of the world’s major media content creation companies on board and are open for more business. I am sure that Simon Lowe at the Media Zone would be happy to talk to members (simon.lowe@twofour54.com).

I also recently visited the site of Masdar City and witnessed the progress of the project. Already, buildings are springing up and the Masdar team are extremely busy, looking at projects and dealing with the many enquiries that they are getting, both from the UK and around the world. A striking sight is the amount of various types and designs of solar panels that surround the offices. Apparently there is more than one kind of panel….

Finally, we recently welcomed a new member to the Embassy team, Ed Stachow. Although he is Australian, he has pledged his loyalty to UK plc, except during the Ashes and the rugby.

As always, we are happy to see visitors to the Embassy. We do have a wealth of collective knowledge which we are happy to share with UK businessmen and perhaps to offer guidance or pointers that may be of use to some of our newer members. Of course, unlike many members of the BBG, we do offer a free service (at least initially).