{"id":20068,"date":"2025-09-16T14:09:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/?p=20068"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:18:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:18:31","slug":"getting-ready-for-site-global-conference-2026-in-abu-dhabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/blog\/getting-ready-for-site-global-conference-2026-in-abu-dhabi\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting ready for SITE Global Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Enjoy a taste of what awaits in Abu Dhabi next February with a guest post from Emily Parsons-Walker, SITE’s Events Specialist. Here, Emily shares her first impressions from a site visit earlier this year to Abu Dhabi, our 2026 SITE Global Conference host destination. <\/em><\/p>

——————<\/p>

The first thing that came to my mind when I was told I was going to be going to Abu Dhabi was two things all at once:<\/p>

  1. Wow, I could never afford to go there and enjoy myself; and<\/li>
  2. I feel like younger me would be screaming thinking about going to the same place from Sex and The City 2<\/em> (my inner Carrie Bradshaw couldn\u2019t take it!).<\/li> <\/ol>

    Abu Dhabi had been on my bucket list since I watched that movie, but I never thought visiting the Emirate would be attainable for me. <\/p>

    When I started with SITE in March 2025, I was told the following month we would be going on a site visit for 2026 Global Conference. <\/p>

    I didn\u2019t even know what to begin to expect and a million questions started to rush through my mind. What did I need to wear? Was I going to be safe? Do I need to learn at least a few phrases in Arabic? <\/p>

    Of course, like any planner I immediately started asking these questions and researching all the possibilities and reaching out to anyone who had been there previously. <\/p>

    Personality, individualism, and authenticity are a few of my core values and are not things that I can pass to the wayside when I travel because I stay true to who I am: but still want to respect the culture and traditions of where I am going. <\/p>

    In chatting with someone, they said to go in with an open mind \u2014 and that I would be surprised with how much my mind would change while I was there. <\/p>

    So, I did just that. I landed in Dubai and chatted with my driver for the one-hour ride to Abu Dhabi at about 9 pm \u2014 doing anything and everything I could to stay awake at this point. <\/p>

    It was during this ride that I got a glimpse into how rich the Emirati culture was, even for those who are not natives. We chatted for the entire hour about his journey to living in Abu Dhabi from Uzbekistan and his experience living and working in the Emirates. <\/p>

    When I arrived at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal<\/strong>, I was welcomed with dates and Arabic coffee. I was also completely in awe of the opulence, yet simplicity, of the hotel’s architecture and feeling of tranquility when you look at it.<\/p>

    On the first day of our site visit, we spent some time with a tour guide who was truly the most amazing guide I have ever had. His wealth of knowledge was impressive, as well as his willingness to open us up to his faith and culture \u2014 and answer all my questions (and I had a lot!). <\/p>

    It wasn\u2019t until the end of the day that I found out he was from Pakistan and had only lived in the Emirates for 10 years. He knew more about Emirati history than I do about a place I have lived my entire life. It was truly incredible to soak in his breadth of knowledge. <\/p>

    I haven\u2019t even gotten to the food… <\/h4>

    If there is anything to get excited about when you think about Abu Dhabi, get excited for how fantastic the food is. “Open your mind” to a world of spices and flavors you may have never known existed. Every turn you take there is incredible food \u2014 and a lot of it! <\/p>

    If there was one thing that I would want you to walk away from reading this with, it\u2019s that Abu Dhabi was arguably one of the top three destinations I have been to. <\/p>

    It\u2019s a destination that truly changed my mindset and my outlook on that region of the world. It\u2019s a place so rich with culture, you will leave feeling you are richer because of it. <\/p>

    Abu Dhabi is by far one of the most unique experiences and destinations. I hope you get to experience and create core memories with SITE at our 2026 Global Conference.<\/p>

    Registration for the SITE Global Conference 2026 opens the week of November 10 <\/h4>

    Start planning your experience now by viewing the preliminary overview agenda on the SITE Global Conference 2026 event page<\/a>. We can’t wait to welcome you to Abu Dhabi in February for an unforgettable gathering of the SITE community from around the world! <\/em><\/p>

    <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A preview of what to expect, from SITE Event Specialist Emily Parsons-Walker<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_views_all":258,"_views_30d":23,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-20068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-information"],"custom_author":{"byline":"Emily Parsons","byline_avatar":"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/emily-parsons-3-150x150.jpeg","byline_email":"eparsons@siteglobal.com","author_id":"18628"},"yoast_head":"\nGetting ready for SITE Global Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi - SITE Global<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A preview of what to expect, from SITE Event Specialist Emily Parsons-Walker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/blog\/getting-ready-for-site-global-conference-2026-in-abu-dhabi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting ready for SITE Global Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi - 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