Ryan Reynolds, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and Tucker Carlson are among the first names confirmed for LIVEX 2026, a new three-day exhibition in Abu Dhabi focused on what makes cities attractive places to live, work and invest.
The inaugural Livability and Investment Exhibition will run from 29 September to 1 October 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, bringing together more than 100 speakers from government, technology, media, climate and investment.
For UAE residents, the event is notable not simply for its celebrity speakers, but for its focus on how urban planning, public spaces, mobility, technology and investment can influence everyday quality of life.
LIVEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi: What to expect
Organisers expect around 20,000 visitors, more than 40 exhibitors and participants from over 50 countries during the three-day event.
The programme will examine how cities can improve livability while also attracting talent, investment and sustainable economic growth.
The speaker line-up includes several former city leaders whose work has shaped major urban policies. Former Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is among them, alongside former Bogotá mayor Enrique Peñalosa and former Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp AO.
Other confirmed speakers include former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, Udacity founder and former Google self-driving car programme leader Sebastian Thrun, actor and environmental advocate Adrien Grenier, and Tucker Carlson, founder of the Tucker Carlson Network.
Why Abu Dhabi is hosting a livability and investment event
LIVEX is built around a link that Abu Dhabi wants to highlight: the relationship between quality of life and economic development.
His Excellency Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Department of Municipalities and Transport said: “Livability is increasingly a defining factor in attracting investment, talent and long-term economic growth. Abu Dhabi has focused on creating an environment where economic opportunity and quality of life reinforce one another. By bringing more than 100 international speakers into the same programme as investors and decision-makers, LIVEX connects a wide range of perspectives with the people and capital shaping the emirate’s continued development.”
The emirate has been recognised by the organisers as the Middle East and North Africa’s most livable city for seven consecutive years in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey and the world’s safest city for ten consecutive years in Numbeo’s Safety Index.
What does LIVEX mean for investors?
Investment will be a major part of the exhibition, with a dedicated Investors Lounge being operated in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Mubadala.
Their investor services and platform teams will be present throughout the three-day event, giving the exhibition a direct investment-focused component alongside its wider discussions about cities and quality of life.
This makes LIVEX relevant not only to people interested in urban development, but also to investors and businesses looking at Abu Dhabi’s continued development.
Abu Dhabi residents will be part of the build-up
The event is also being taken beyond the exhibition venue before September’s opening.
A travelling public installation will move around Abu Dhabi for five weeks, asking residents to share the stories, moments and ideas that they associate with the city’s livability.
A separate Community Tour will invite residents to cycle through different districts and public spaces, with the organisers highlighting mobility networks, active lifestyles and connected communities.
Children across the emirate are also being invited to imagine how their neighbourhoods could be improved through Imagine What’s Next. Their artwork will form part of a digital mural and will be displayed at LIVEX.
When and where is LIVEX 2026?
LIVEX 2026 will take place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
The event is expected to bring together more than 100 speakers, 40-plus exhibitors and participants from more than 50 countries. The organisers are targeting 20,000 visitors.
The announcement does not provide ticket prices, admission requirements or a detailed public programme, so those details cannot yet be confirmed from the information available.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
