Mansoor bin Mohammed attends opening event of ICOM Dubai 2025 at Expo City Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE National Olympic Committee, and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, attended the official opening ceremony of the 27th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM Dubai 2025). Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the event marks the first time the prestigious global conference is hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.

The opening evening unfolded beneath the magnificent dome of Al Wasl Plaza at Expo City Dubai — the world’s largest 360-degree projection surface — in a vibrant celebration jointly presented by Dubai Culture and Expo City Dubai. The 20-minute theatrical and musical production brought Dubai’s story to life through immersive 2D and 3D projections, live performance, and original compositions, taking the audience on an evocative journey through the emirate’s history, from its founding on the banks of the Creek in 1833 to its emergence as a global cultural hub.

Her Highness praised the close collaboration between Dubai Culture and Expo City Dubai, which resulted in a captivating artistic showcase that embodied the essence of Dubai — its creativity, culture, and openness to the world. She said: “I take great pride in Dubai’s journey and its story — one that deserves to be told. It is the story of a city that believed in the power of culture to shape people and uplift communities. With the determination and vision of its leadership and people, Dubai has flourished into a beacon of creativity and progress. Today, through the opening ceremony of ICOM Dubai 2025, we celebrate the story of Dubai’s beginnings —a city that, from its earliest days, opened its doors to the world, championed openness, and fostered global cultural exchange. To now welcome the world’s museum community here, for the largest international gathering of its kind, is both a moment of pride and a reflection of our national identity.”

Her Highness celebrated the artists, performers, and creative teams who contributed to the production and design of the show, describing their efforts as “a true reflection of our cultural identity, where creativity, craftsmanship, and storytelling come together to connect past and present, tradition and innovation.”

Attending the opening ceremony alongside Their Highnesses were His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; His Highness Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporated; His Highness Prince Rashid bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Saud; Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Supreme Chairman of the Arab Network for Creativity and Innovation; Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of Frontier25; Dr. Emma Nardi, President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and a number of Directors General and senior officials.

A journey through history
‘This is Dubai’ took audiences on a moving journey through the city’s history, beginning in 1833, when the Al Bu Falasah tribe departed Liwa in search of a more stable future. Upon reaching Dubai Creek, they found fertile ground and fresh water, where they began building homes from palm fronds, laying the foundations for what would become modern Dubai.

The second act portrayed the era of pearl diving and fishing, when the community began to flourish and the sea became its primary source of livelihood. Men would set sail before dawn to dive for pearls, spending weeks at sea while their families waited along the shore.

The third act celebrated Dubai’s growing openness to the world, as ships began arriving and the first markets emerged, filling the city with a mosaic of cultures, languages, and sounds. The performance concluded with a joyful duet in the fourth act, reflecting Dubai’s evolution into a city of belonging rather than a point of passage, becoming a home built on diversity, unity, and shared purpose.
The show was directed by Amna Abdullah Abu Alhoul, who led a team of Emirati talent and international collaborators. The poetic script was written by acclaimed Emirati poet Ali Al Khawar, with music composed by the ‘Ambassador of Tunes,’ Fayez Al Saeed. The performance featured an outstanding operatic rendition by Emirati artist Fatma Al Hashemi, narration by poet and media personality Huda Al Fahad as the ‘Voice of Dubai,’ and cultural content direction by Reem Abdullah Al Ghaith.

Produced by the in-house creative team at Expo City Dubai, the show required over 100 hours of rehearsals and more than 380 hours of historical research into early Gulf maritime treaties, the British India Office archives, and regional records. This meticulous research traced Dubai’s transformation from a modest coastal settlement into a thriving centre of trade, culture, and exchange — a story defined by its deep connection to the sea and its enduring openness to the world.

The performance transformed Al Wasl Plaza’s iconic 130-metre dome into a stunning visual canvas, using 252 Christie D4K40-RGB laser projectors and more than 813 lighting units to create an immersive 360-degree audiovisual experience. Supported by 27 sound arrays and over 150 advanced speakers, the score blended traditional Emirati rhythms with contemporary orchestral compositions, creating a sonic landscape that reflected Dubai’s harmony between heritage and innovation.

Organised in partnership with Expo City Dubai, du, and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority, the performance celebrated the delegates and guests of ICOM Dubai 2025. The event embodied Dubai’s legacy of collaboration, creativity, and connection, expressing its evolution from a community built on pearl diving and trade to a global hub of culture, innovation, and knowledge exchange that views culture as a universal language uniting people and inspiring humanity.