Abu Dhabi is set to host the world’s largest event for media, content, and entertainment, with the Bridge Summit 2025 scheduled to take place from 8-10 December. The summit, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), is expected to attract over 60,000 participants, positioning creators at the centre of global development and cross-cultural dialogue.
A Platform for Economic and Cultural Growth
The event is designed around a central question: how can creative industries serve as the infrastructure of modern life while driving both economic and cultural growth? To address this, Bridge Summit 2025 will feature an extensive programme with 400 global speakers, 300 exhibitors, and 300 distinct events, including 200 panel discussions and 50 interactive workshops. The summit aims to provide a world-class stage for collaboration, innovation, and the exchange of knowledge across a space of 1.65 million square feet.
Mapping the Modern Media Landscape
The summit’s activities are organised across seven interconnected tracks that map the contemporary media ecosystem. These themes will bring together creative industry leaders to explore the role of innovation and technology in shaping the coming decade. The seven tracks include:
- Media: Exploring the evolution of journalism and digital storytelling.
- Content Economy: Analysing how creators are building sustainable businesses.
- Art and Music: Focusing on creativity at the intersection of technology and expression.
- Gaming: Highlighting metaverse design, e-sports, and virtual social spaces.
- Technology: Centring on AI, automation, and interactive innovation as catalysts for creative change. This focus aligns with wider national goals, as seen in initiatives where Dubai Holding and Palantir create Aither to scale AI across the UAE economy.
- Marketing: Examining the convergence of storytelling, psychology, and data.
- Film: Celebrating visual media’s role in bridging cultures, from cinema to AI-enhanced editing.
A Vision for Cross-Sector Collaboration
Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, Vice President of Bridge Summit, explained the event’s core philosophy. “Through Bridge Summit, we aim to create a global space where media and content transcend traditional boundaries to encompass all sectors defining today’s global content economy,” he said. “These intersections generate new opportunities for growth, investment, and impact.”
He added that the vision is to create value through collaboration between different fields. “Today, no field evolves in isolation, we live in an age where data meets imagination, technology meets art, and creativity meets economics,” Dr Al Kaabi stated. The summit was conceived to be a nexus connecting talent and investment to accelerate the growth of media industries. This large-scale event is another example of how Abu Dhabi launches Future Health to transform global care and other major initiatives to position itself as a hub for global progress.
Organised by the UAE’s National Media Office, Bridge Summit represents a global ecosystem uniting industry leaders to explore the future of media. It is designed to empower the next generation of creative pioneers. Registration for the 2025 event is now open.
