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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nCapital jazz<\/mark><\/strong> Abu Dhabi has been selected as \u2018Global Host\u2019 for the 2025 edition of International Jazz Day<\/strong><\/a> (run by UNESCO, celebrated each year on 30 April). We\u2019re promised that \u201cthe celebration in this cosmopolitan city will embody the power of jazz to unite and delight in our shared humanity\u201d (said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO DG). Last year\u2019s International Jazz Day was in Tangier, Morocco; four days of events culminated in an all-star international concert<\/strong><\/a>. We think there\u2019s going to be a similar event in Abu Dhabi \u2013 \u00a0expect a lot of promotion for \u2018Arabic Jazz\u2019 \u2013 plus workshops, masterclasses, educational programmes and community outreach. Abu Dhabi is already a UNESCO Creative City of Music; we\u2019re not sure what that has meant on the ground, but surely the specificity of a jazz date will see more action.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Limits<\/strong><\/mark> The Dubai Design Week people have added what they\u2019re calling the Middle East\u2019s first limited-edition art and design fair to the November beanfeast. This seems a logical and desirable addition to the DDW mix. Running 6-9 November alongside Downtown Design in d3, Editions Dubai<\/strong><\/a> is aiming for \u201ca diverse collection of prints, contemporary design, photography, ceramics, and works on paper \u2026 at a range of price points\u201d from more than 50 vendors. The suggestion is that it will be \u201ccurated\u201d, which probably means that potential stallholders will be vetted for suitability\u00a0rather than actually invited specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support a Center<\/mark><\/strong> The Arts Center at NYUAD has introduced\u00a0memberships<\/strong><\/a>, which do look like a pretty good deal given the quality of the Arts Center\u2019s programming and the inevitably frequent sellouts \u2013 advance booking is one benefit, along with a 25% discount on a ticket for every performance during the year and one completely free ticket to a performance of your choice. And yes, you do also get a dedicated members\u2019 entrance line plus a limited edition water bottle and a tote bag branded for The Arts Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n That’s called Supporting Membership and costs AED 350 plus VAT; we reckon you would make on the deal if you see around a dozen standard-price shows a year. There’s a family-and-friends option too \u2013 up to four additional adults can be included for AED 250 each, young folks (aged 21 and below, up to six of them) are AED 175 each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also an all-you-can-eat VIP Membership at AED 1200. This buys you one complimentary ticket to every production plus the 25% discount, earliest ticket booking (even before Supporting members), exclusive invitations to events and artists\u2019 meet-and-greets, and a copy of The Arts Center\u2019s excellent box set book The Arts Center: Building a Performing Arts Community on Saadiyat Island<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, signed personally by Bill Bragin (sure to become a collector’s item). And the branded merch, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the numbers<\/strong><\/mark> In the 2023 fDI Markets report, a suitably pricey Financial Times<\/em> service that monitors foreign direct investment, Dubai reportedly ranked No.1 globally out of 115 cities for FDI capital inflows into projects classed in the cultural and creative industries sector<\/strong><\/a> (CCI).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A drill-down would be instructive, since \u2018creative industries\u2019 is a catch-all for activities like marketing, design, advertising, media and entertainment as well as arts and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re also a bit baffled by the numbers. The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism\u2019s own FDI Dashboard<\/strong><\/a> says the emirate succeeded in attracting a total of 1,649 FDI projects worth AED 36.2 billion in 2023<\/strong><\/a>. That puts Dubai well ahead of Singapore’s 442 and London with 431; and, importantly, just over a thousand of them were greenfield projects (that\u2019s foreign investment in new things rather than just mergers, acquisitions, expansions and the like).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how many of the 1,649 are CCI projects? The press release says 898, with a capital value of AED 11.9bn. This implies that fully a third of foreign inward investment is going into CCI projects, which themselves make up more than half the total. Does that seem a bit, well, unlikely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it’s all in the detail, but there is no detail. The Dubai FDI Dashboard \u2013 which is one of the sources cited \u2013 doesn\u2019t actually include CCI among its 37 sectors (the nearest is probably \u2018leisure and entertainment\u2019, but in 2023 that accounted for only 28 FDI projects worth just over a billion dirhams). <\/p>\n\n\n\n We can\u2019t afford the subscription to fDI Markets (but the fDI Markets website doesn\u2019t include CCI as a sector either) and the press release doesn\u2019t include any of the info for which the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism presumably has<\/em> paid. Any and all CCI investment is a good thing, so I guess we\u2019ll have to take their word for it (again)..<\/p>\n\n\n Walking in circles<\/mark><\/strong> This week’s brainteaser: imagine I am walking around a circle whose centre is the Burj Khalifa. For the purposes of this question, assume I can walk on water and don’t get tired. When the radius is 1km, I will walk roughly 6.28km (because the circumference of a circle is twice the radius\u00a0times pi, which is 3.14 to two decimal places). When the radius is 100km, I will walk roughly 628km. So when the radius is 10,000km, will I walk roughly 62,800km?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ducks in a row<\/mark><\/strong> The answer to last week’s puzzle is six. An extra shot if you got that; back to the naughty step if you said eight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things we didn\u2019t know, no.94<\/mark><\/strong> Amazon was originally going to be called Relentless (try going to relentless.com<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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