The second edition of the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS), taking place from May 12 to 14, will have greater scale, broader reach, and a clear mandate to move beyond dialogue to deliver.
ADIS 2026 is set to convene more than 7,000 industry professionals, 100+ speakers, and 75+ exhibitors spanning the full infrastructure value chain, supported by a broad coalition of public and private-sector partners. The summit comes as ADPIC manages a capital pipeline exceeding AED200 billion ($54.4 billion) across Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC) held a high-level press conference on Friday to unveil the programme for the ADIS, which will bring together senior government leaders and chief executives from across Abu Dhabi's infrastructure ecosystem to preview a three-day agenda designed to examine the systems, partnerships, and investments shaping the next generation of cities.
The event will be held at the International Convention Centre, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.
The briefing was addressed by Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, and Eng Maysarah Mahmoud Eid, Director General of ADPIC, alongside Bill O’Regan, Group CEO of Modon Holding; Adel Albreiki, CEO of Aldar Projects; Carlos Wakim, CEO of Bloom Holding; and Eid Alobeidli, Director of Musataha and PPP of Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), collectively representing the breadth of Abu Dhabi's infrastructure planning and delivery landscape.
Speaking at the press conference, Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa said: “We are at a pivotal moment globally. Cities are being tested as never before: expanding populations, mounting climate pressures, and rising expectations on urban systems. The question is no longer whether to build. It is how to build well. How to build wisely. Abu Dhabi's answer is taking shape, day by day, through a long-horizon infrastructure commitment anchored in the leadership's vision for responsible, people-centred growth. In less than a year, ADIS has done something rare for a first-edition summit: it has changed how the world sees Abu Dhabi. Not as a city of future promise, but as one already delivering at scale. The platform has gone global, and the world has responded. ADIS is now a central pillar in Abu Dhabi's story on the international stage.”
Eng Maysarah Mahmoud Eid added: "The Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit was designed with a clear mandate: to move beyond dialogue and accelerate delivery. The global community is now not simply watching what Abu Dhabi is building. It is showing up to be part of it. This edition is stronger, broader, and more purposeful than the first, and it will deliver accordingly, with the formalisation of significant new agreements, fresh investment commitments, and delivery milestones, several announced publicly for the first time."
Under the theme 'The Urban Evolution: Rethinking Cities, Redefining How We Live,' the three-day summit spans the full arc of urban development, from high-level government vision to the technical and commercial systems that underpin delivery at scale. Sessions cover project delivery, construction innovation, future mobility, smart infrastructure, circular construction, and project financing, addressing the priorities defining how cities are planned, built, and sustained for generations.
The programme brings together an exceptional line-up of government and industry leaders. Senior government speakers include Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Abdulla Humaid Saif Al Jarwan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy; Eisa Mubarak Almazrouei Director General, of Infrastructure Development Directorate at DMT; Abdulla Alblooshi, Director General, Urban Planning & Permits Centre at DMT; Dr Abdulla Hamad AlGhfeli, Acting Director General, Integrated Transport Centre – Abu Dhabi; Adel Al Nuaimi, Executive Director of Capital Projects Contractual Affairs Sector at ADPIC; and Mohamed Al Hosani, Executive Director of Capital Projects Operations at ADPIC.
In a significant first for ADIS, the 2026 edition features dedicated sessions developed in partnership with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), the world's leading representative body for the consulting engineering industry, representing one million professionals and 40,000 firms worldwide. The FIDIC programme addresses procurement, contract management, and dispute avoidance, featuring a keynote by Prashant Kapila, FIDIC Board Member, and a specialist workshop on managing variations, claims, and risk within live projects.
The partner and exhibitor coalition behind ADIS 2026 reflects the full depth and breadth of Abu Dhabi's urban development landscape, bringing together master developers, contractors, investors, government authorities, energy providers, and technology firms under one roof.
The summit will also feature a dedicated Abu Dhabi Pavilion, showcasing the emirate's integrated approach to urban development and governance through the participation of Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Mobility (ITC), and the Department of Municipalities and Transport. The pavilion will present the authorities shaping how Abu Dhabi plans, moves, and sustains its cities in one unified space.
A defining feature of ADIS 2026 is its move beyond the traditional conference format. The summit will include Leadership Roundtables, a series of invite-only, closed-door sessions facilitated under the Chatham House Rule, with participation capped to ensure depth and candid exchange. It will also feature a dedicated B2B matchmaking, offering partners and sponsors pre-arranged one-to-one business meetings.
All ADIS 2026 sessions carry accreditation from the CPD Standards Office, enabling attendees to earn internationally recognised Continuing Professional Development credits. Together, the FIDIC partnership and CPD accreditation position ADIS as a summit that goes beyond assembling the global infrastructure community to actively advancing its professional standards. – TradeArabia News Service
