21 - 22 October, 2019
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dr. Juan Recio, Associate Director, Ports, Marine and Geotechnical at AECOM

Dr. Juan Recio


Associate Director, Ports, Marine and Geotechnical
AECOM

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Juan.

Download The Latest Agenda

Conference Day One: Monday, 21 October 2019

Monday, October 21st, 2019


9:00 AM VISONARY PANEL: Reclaiming lost land: Identifying unique opportunities for island development to boost Middle East tourism and drive economic revenue

Over the past 15 years, land reclamation has been carried out all over the world for many different purposes, besides expansion, maritime ports and airports, land has also been created for housing projects, tourism and waterfront development.

We have seen a number of island project arise from the Middle East region such as the Palm Jumeirah, Deira Islands, The world, Yas Island and many more but what is next?

Key question: What’s in store for the Middle East in terms of island and waterfront development?

In this session, we will:
  • Highlight successful island and waterfront development projects in the GCC
  • Discuss upcoming island and reclamation land projects in the Middle East and opportunities for development
  • How island development can contribute to tourism and entertainment GCC visions
  • Identify what we can learn from international countries

Panellists:

9:40 AM PROJECT CASE STUDY: A key insight into Peninsula Creation, Artificial Islands and Marinas and lessons learnt

An exclusive insight into 3 iconic marine projects currently being developed by AECOM in the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and lessons learnt.

Senior leadership will acknowledge:
  • Challenges associated with collecting reliable data and numerical modelling
  • Key considerations in master planning and stakeholder engagement
  • Innovative design works and creative opportunities

3:10 PM INTERACTIVE PANEL DISCUSSION: Debating the environmental impact of land reclamation – is your island Eco friendly?

We often look to island development and costal projects as a way of making our cities more attractive to tourists and more economically successful – but at what cost?

This exclusive panel debate will discuss the impact of land reclamation on the environment and what key strategies we can put in place to avoid serious damage.

In this session, we will examine:
  • Environmental impact assessment on land reclamation projects – the untold truth
  • Best practices to monitor and assess land reclamation’s impacts on species, habitats and the marine ecosystems
  • Hydrodynamic modelling techniques to ensure water quality and plume dispersion in land reclamation projects

Panellists: