Dirhams & Dollars

Musicians have, for whatever reason, long avoided making Dubai a fixture on their world tours. With a handful of notable exceptions, the Middle East has never been graced with the sames caliber of artists that Europe or Asia has. So, when the press release for the new Dubai Arena, since renamed the Coca-Cola Arena, said that the venue filled a void between Istanbul and Singapore, they may very well have been right. So we look at what the new arena is promising to offer in terms of sports, comedy, and music, how it sizes up to its international competitors in other key cities, and what to expect logistically if you decide to visit. We also ask how it will impact the other, smaller venues in Dubai, and what kind of ticket prices will need to be realised in order for Meraas, the developer, to justify the millions of dollars it has presumably spent building the state-of-the-art arena.