Live blog from Arabal 2016

I am in Dubai for the 20th Arab Aluminum conference, otherwise known as Arabal.

Some initial observations ahead of the first official speeches:

• As always, the Arabal organizers spare no expense in putting on a well-run event. Every little detail appears to have been addressed.
• Numbers appear to be lower than previous years. Arabal usually pulls around 600 people, but the list of names they provided is lower than this.
• The event is being held at the Madinat Jumeriah, an enormous resort and a palatial setting. The hotel is very nice, though the service levels not up to where they could be. It took 15 minutes to check-in, despite only one other person being ahead of me. It took a further 10 minutes for my bag to come to my room.
• The event is already taking on the appearance of being an extension of the other recent events - the Metal Bulletin conference in September, LME week in October and now this event.
• At breakfast, all the discussion was about Trump, and what he would mean for international trade.
• Arabal is of course about what’s happening in the Middle East - but as each year passes, it becomes more about a global view with a Middle Eastern perspective. If the goal of the Arabal organizers is to move the industry into the global mainstream, then they are successful.
• The welcome reception last night was dry! If you wanted a beer or a wine, you had to buy it yourself.