Dubai, UAE, 10 October 2018: Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, welcomed Rob Thornton, President and CEO, International District Energy Association (IDEA), at Empower’s head office, the company said in a Press communiqué.

Bin Shafar and Thornton in conversation

The visit, which is part of a tour to senior officials, by Ahmad Bin Shafar and Rob Thornton in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, aims to highlight the role of the IDEA International District Cooling Conference and Tradeshow in raising awareness of the importance of District Cooling systems, the communiqué said. Empower has won the opportunity to host the Eighth IDEA Conference and Tradeshow 2018, which will be held from December 9 to 11, at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, under the slogan ‘Effective Energy for Smarter Cities’, the communiqué further said.

The tour included visits to Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), where they were welcomed by H.E Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, DEWA; the Supreme Council of Energy, where they were welcomed by H.E Ahmed Buti Al Muhairbi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Energy; and Dubai Municipality, where they met H.E Dawood Al Hajiri, Director General, Dubai Municipality, the communiqué said.

Welcoming Thornton, Bin Shafar, said: “IDEA pays special attention to our organisation for contributing to the success of the IDEA Conference and Tradeshow in Dubai, and for organising the Conference for 3 times in Dubai. This reflects our ability to organise and ensure the success of international events on District Cooling, especially as Dubai is an incubator for major international events in various fields, including energy and environmental protection.”

Thornton said: “I would like to thank Empower for its unlimited support to IDEA, especially for hosting the global conference twice in Dubai, and hosting it again this year. This conference will be an important platform for senior officials and decision-makers from public and private sectors, as well as experts working in the energy sector to discuss the latest developments and offer solutions and innovative technologies in the District Cooling industry.”

The communiqué said Bin Shafar and Thornton also traveled to Saudi Arabia, where they held meetings with senior officials from the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The communiqué further said the visit also included a meeting with senior officials of Johnson Controls and a reception for industry representatives.