Dubai will put artificial intelligence at the centre of its tech calendar on Tuesday 18 November 2025, when /function1 opens the first day of its expanded AI Conference and Exhibition at Festival Arena in Dubai Festival City. After debuting earlier in 2025, the event now returns as a two day gathering designed to bring together startups, investors, developers and policymakers under one roof. Organisers are promoting a target of around ten thousand attendees across both days, positioning it as one of the largest year end AI meetings in the region. The focus sits firmly on generative AI, AI agents and real world deployment across industries rather than pure theory. Day one runs from doors opening at 08:00 through sessions that culminate in closing remarks at about 17:30, followed by structured networking from around 17:45. The atmosphere is professional but informal, with a clear emphasis on learning, product discovery and deal making (suitable for solo professionals, startup teams and older students; not designed for young children).
Themes and speakers across the main stages
Across three main stages, day one brings a mix of keynote talks, panel discussions, fireside conversations and live demos that stay close to generative AI and its impact on work and society. Topics highlighted in advance include AI and employment, security, creativity and the arts, decentralised AI, the future of AI developments, human and AI collaboration, robotics and sector specific applications. Attendees can expect curated sessions rather than open mic talks, with a programme built to showcase concrete case studies and lessons learned. Many speakers are drawn from global cloud providers, major chip manufacturers, regional scale ups and academic labs, so the tone leans toward implementation and regulation rather than hype. Therefore, visitors who already work with AI or plan to integrate it into products and services will probably gain the most from a full day on site.
How day one unfolds on site
From 08:00 the arena opens for registration, badge collection and an early walk through the exhibition area, which is useful for orienting yourself before the halls become busy. Morning programming typically starts around 10:00 with opening remarks and a headline keynote that sets the tone for the rest of the conference. A straightforward way to structure your visit is to spend the morning on the main stage, then reserve the afternoon for smaller breakouts, workshops and targeted meetings. After lunch, parallel tracks usually deepen into technical case studies, policy debates and investor focused sessions, so choosing two or three priorities in advance helps avoid rushing between rooms. Closing remarks on day one are scheduled for approximately 17:30, after which the formal content pauses and networking takes over from about 17:45 in lounges, exhibition aisles and quieter corners of the venue.
Workshops, hackathon zones and Futures Lab
The wider /function1 programme adds several parallel elements that give day one a flexible, festival style structure. Alongside the conference tracks, the organisers promote hands on workshops hosted by major partners such as cloud and hardware providers, an AI startup competition, a large hackathon finale and an AI Futures Lab area aimed at youth and students. Visitors can spend whole blocks of time in these zones if they care more about building or discovering projects than sitting through every keynote. The exhibition hall gathers solution providers ranging from infrastructure platforms and data providers to niche tool builders, so teams can compare multiple options in a single circuit. At the same time, investors and corporate innovation leads can make use of a founders lounge and scheduled matchmaking sessions to filter potential partners before or after public pitches.
Tickets, passes and ideal audience profiles
Tickets for the November edition are currently shown in a wide range, with general and mid level passes starting at approximately AED 389 and premium or VIP packages rising to around AED 3,899 depending on access level and extras such as workshops or lounge access. Because prices can move as allocations change, it is safest to treat all figures as approximate and to check for any last minute adjustments close to Tuesday 18 November 2025. The conference is clearly geared towards startup founders, product and engineering leaders, data scientists, policy specialists and investors who already follow AI trends, rather than complete beginners. Promotion for earlier editions has referred to an age guideline of 16 plus, which means families with younger children should not plan this as a child focused outing. For older students, however, the combination of Futures Lab activities and exposure to working professionals offers a valuable snapshot of how generative AI is used in real organisations.
Venue layout, comfort and on site services
Festival Arena by InterContinental sits within Dubai Festival City and is designed as a large, flexible event hall with pillar free indoor space, outdoor terraces and direct links to nearby hotels and the shopping mall. Official venue material highlights more than 7,000 square metres of event space, capacity for several thousand guests and over 1,200 to 1,500 free parking spaces spread across regular and VIP areas. For attendees, this translates into wide aisles, clear signage and enough breakout space that stepping away for a quiet call or side meeting is usually possible even during peak sessions. The layout generally includes a pre function hall, organiser offices, prayer rooms and multiple food and beverage points, which keeps circulation relatively smooth through the day. Because the arena connects directly to Dubai Festival City Mall, it is easy to step out briefly for a wider choice of dining options or a short walk along the waterfront between sessions.
Arriving from within Dubai
For those already in Dubai, there are several ways to reach the arena on Tuesday 18 November. Drivers can approach via Al Rebat Street from Dubai Al Ain Road or via Sheikh Rashid Road, then follow signs to Dubai Festival City, where surface and structured car parks serve both the arena and the mall. Morning arrivals between 07:30 and 09:00 are likely to face heavier traffic near key junctions, so leaving a little earlier than usual is a wise precaution. Public transport users can combine metro and bus, for example by taking the Red Line to Emirates or Al Jafiliya stations and transferring to buses such as the 24, 32C or 64A, which stop near Dubai Festival City, with typical one way fares in the range of AED 5 to AED 11. In addition, marine transport and water taxis operate along Dubai Creek to Festival City stations, providing a more scenic route for those staying near older parts of the city.
Arriving from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and beyond
Visitors travelling from Abu Dhabi can either drive along Sheikh Zayed Road to Dubai Festival City or use intercity buses into Dubai followed by metro and bus connections toward the arena. The driving distance is roughly 145 to 150 kilometres, and current route planners suggest a trip of about one hour and twenty minutes to one hour and thirty minutes outside peak congestion, with fuel and tolls typically adding up to around AED 50 to AED 80. A taxi or private car from central Abu Dhabi can cost approximately AED 250 to AED 350 each way, so it may make sense for teams to share rides or use intercity buses that cost around AED 30 to AED 50 before transferring to local transport. From Sharjah, Ajman and other northern emirates, travel times by car often range from 45 minutes to just over an hour, although bottlenecks near the Dubai border during morning and evening rush hours can extend journeys. Some visitors from these emirates may prefer to park near a metro station such as Rashidiya or Stadium and continue by train and bus to avoid city centre traffic and parking stress at the busiest times.
Planning breaks, side meetings and evening networking
Because day one combines formal content with long networking windows, it rewards a little planning around energy and focus. Many attendees use the mid morning or mid afternoon coffee breaks to arrange quick meetings in the pre function hall or in quieter corners of the arena, then reserve lunchtime for exploring the exhibition stands or visiting nearby cafés in Dubai Festival City Mall. Another workable approach is to dedicate one part of the day to listening and note taking, and the other part to active networking and exhibition floor conversations. The surrounding precinct offers waterfront promenades, hotel lobbies and casual dining options that can all serve as neutral meeting points for investors, founders and corporate teams. Because the networking segment after 17:45 is likely to run into early evening, visitors who need to return to other emirates the same night should agree departure times in advance so they can enjoy the final sessions without clock watching.
Weather, clothing, traffic and last practical tips
On Tuesday 18 November 2025, Dubai is forecast to be warm and mostly sunny, with daytime highs around 31 to 33 degrees Celsius and milder temperatures in the evening, while the following weekend on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 November is expected to stay dry and hazy sunny with similar highs around 33 degrees and lows near 22 degrees. Light, breathable clothing with comfortable closed shoes is therefore sensible, and a light layer or scarf can help in cooler, air conditioned halls. Parking at Festival Arena is free but not unlimited, and evening rush hour traffic into and out of the area can coincide with the end of day one, especially for those exiting toward the main highways. Public transport, including metro and bus links, offers a useful backup if central car parks fill or if drivers from other emirates prefer to avoid peak toll hours around Abu Dhabi and greater Dubai. Ticket and on site prices for food, transport and parking related services should always be treated as approximate and checked again closer to the date, and many regular attendees rely on curated local platforms such as www.few.ae for up to date practical notes before planning their conference day.
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