The Middle East Film and Comic Convention has some new partners this year. Fans of rock music – and the actor Jared Leto – will be pleased to hear that the Oscar winning actor will be bringing his band Thirty Seconds to Mars to the stage, thanks to a partnership with Live Nation.
Star Trek legend William Shatner will be the headline guest at the event, which looks set to be bigger, better, and geekier than ever before when it takes over Dubai's World Trade Centre for three days next month.
The 83-year-old Canadian actor is familiar to generations of sci-fi fans as Captain James T Kirk, the fearless captain of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek TV series and movies. He's also familiar to those of a certain age as TJ Hooker from the 1980s cop show of the same name, and he also starred on legal drama Boston Legal, which ran from 2004 to 2007.
Those looking for extra geek points will recall his sideline as a recording artist, the surreal highlights of which included spoken-word versions of Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man and Elton John's Rocket Man.
Also appearing at the convention will be Karl Urban, who plays Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy in the rebooted Star Trek movies, Éomer in The Lord of the Rings films, and Judge Dredd in the 2012 movie Dredd, written by Alex Garland, based on the British comic book anti-hero.
Also on the guest list is Sam Jones, best known for starring in the title role of the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon, and more recently for his memorable cameo playing himself in the Seth McFarlane's 2012 movie comedy Ted.
Comics won't be overlooked – alongside many returning favourites, Image Comics, the publisher of hits such as The Walking Dead and Spawn will be attending for the first time.
Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing is also on board once again, and will be helping to promote this year’s MEFCC as a global attraction.
Another new link up, this time with the 181 million-user free text, voice and video messaging service LINE, will offer fans at the show up-to-the-minute live updates of activities, promotions, signings, workshops and exclusive offers, ensuring that they don’t miss out on the jam-packed weekend of activities.
The organisers seem confident that the stellar line up – and there’s plenty more yet to be announced – will prove a hit with fans. This year’s show has booked 35 per cent more space at Dubai World Trade Centre and is aiming to welcome 50,000 visitors through the doors over the weekend.
“Our promise is always ‘bigger, better and crazier than ever’,” said MEFCC managing director, Ben Caddy. “With the overwhelming support of both our industry partners and the fan community, whether they are artists, exhibitors, sponsors or fans, people feel that they have a stake in this event and the platform it provides,” he added, “and it’s that enthusiasm which is driving the growth of the event.”
Tickets, and full pricing and package details for the April 9-12 event are available now online and at Virgin Megastore. Keep an eye on the MEFCC website for the latest guest announcements.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
INFO
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
