Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
TRENDS Research & Advisory concluded its successful participation at the 43rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which it enriched with over 350 academic publications, with the signing of 10 new books by its experts, writers and researchers.
The 12-day event, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, was organised by the Sharjah Book Authority at the Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme “It Starts With a Book”.
TRENDS’ fifth participation at the SIBF included its panel discussions titled “The Importance of Education Within the Youth” and “The Impact of the Emirates Publishers Association on Supporting the Cultural Publishing Industry”.
Continuous Engagement
The TRENDS’ pavilion attracted a steady stream of visitors, including senior officials, ambassadors, diplomats, intellectuals, writers, academics and attendees from around the world.
On the final day of the fair, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamdan Al Nuaimi, Director of the Economic Licensing Department at the Ajman Department of Economic Development, and Ibrahim Salman Al Hammadi, Executive Director of the Government Performance and Excellence Sector and General Coordinator of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, visited the TRENDS pavilion and browsed the centre’s latest signed publications.
During the book fair, TRENDS signed a cooperation agreement with the DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation to strengthen partnerships in research, specialised studies and training programmes. Additionally, the centre launched the “TRENDS Knowledge Passport” initiative to promote its global research and scientific vision.
Purposeful Scientific Content
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS, emphasised the importance of regularly participating in leading international and regional book fairs to disseminate knowledge and culture. He highlighted the centre’s role in providing valuable scientific content that opens minds and encourages future-oriented thinking, praised the extensive and continuous visits to the centre’s pavilion at the SIBF, and explained that this reflects the wide interest in and appreciation of the centre’s publications and research output among various segments and categories of the book fair visitors.
Addressing Publishing Challenges
Dr. Al-Ali revealed that TRENDS participation in the SIBF included the launch of a study that was prepared in partnership with the Emirates Publishers Association under the title “The Impact of the Emirates Publishers Association on Supporting the Cultural Publishing Industry in the UAE and GCC”. This study examined the challenges and opportunities facing the publishing industry locally and regionally.
Another notable release was the book “The Era of Pearls: From Poverty to Prosperity”, which analyses the historical cycles shaping the UAE’s development-from the pre-pearl era to the oil economy, including the localisation and thriving of the pearl industry.
AI Corner
Rawda Al-Marzouqi, Director of Distribution and Exhibitions at TRENDS, highlighted the innovative features of the centre’s pavilion, which included a podcast studio where episodes of the Trending Echoes series were recorded. The AI corner of the pavilion, featuring tools like AI-powered chatbots, Echo and Moxie, and the augmented reality headset Tara, attracted interest from attendees.
10 New Publications
Rawda Al-Marzouqi noted that during the book fair, TRENDS researchers signed 10 new books, including: “Think Tanks in a Changing World: Shifts, Roles and Challenges”; “Applying Training and Simulation Models in Cybersecurity”; “The Growing Role of Private Military Companies: Blackwater and Wagner as Case Studies”; the Arabic edition of “The Muslim Brotherhood International Power Index 2022-2023”; and “Zero Government Bureaucracy: General Characteristics, Technological Transformations, and the UAE Model”.
