BBC WORLDWIDE’S HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BLUE PLANET IN CONCERT TO OPEN ABU DHABI’S VOLVO OCEAN RACE STOPOVER

Bi-lingual show to open Destination Village on Corniche  Breakwater - December 12

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – 4 August 2014: BBC Worldwide’s highly acclaimed Blue Planet in Concert will open the Abu Dhabi stopover of the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) on December 12 marking the show’s Arabian premiere.

Having previously played to sell-out audiences in the USA, Europe, the Far East and Australia, Blue Planet in Concert combines spectacular, specially cut high definition footage from the award winning TV series – The Blue Planet – with the emotional and evocative musical score performed by a live orchestra. The show will raise the curtain on the three-week stopover celebrations.

Two 90-minute evening performances of Blue Planet in Concert will be shown on December 12 and 13 on a 10-metre wide screen placed on a purpose-built, floating stage in the waters off Abu Dhabi’s stunning Corniche and will be accompanied by a 78-piece orchestra led by a celebrity guest conductor.

“The skyline of Abu Dhabi and the surrounding marine environment will provide a superb and appropriate backdrop to the spectacular scenes featured in Blue Planet in Concert. We hope that the proven mix of breathtaking footage combined with beautiful and evocative live orchestral music will help to set the tone for the stopover celebrations to follow,” said Mat Way, Commercial Director of Live Events at BBC Worldwide. 

Hosted by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), the stopover festival will take place in a 30,000 square metre, purpose-built VOR Destination Village on the UAE capital’s Corniche Breakwater, packed with edutainment and entertainment highlighting Abu Dhabi’s union with the sea and its maritime heritage. There’ll be dhow racing, pearl diving showcases, traditional sea shanty performances, ocean conservation exhibitions and activities such as beach clean-ups and turtle conservation talks.

“The stopover is a tremendous international showcase which propels our winter watersports credentials and marine heritage to the fore among the global sailing community,” said Sultan Al Dhaheri, Acting Executive Director – Tourism, TCA Abu Dhabi. “This is when four centuries of maritime heritage will connect with today’s greatest ocean adventure in the world’s most exciting destination.”

Up to 200,000 people are expected to visit Abu Dhabi’s VOR Destination Village, which will be open to the public from December 12 until January 3, when the race fleet departs for its next endurance sailing leg to Sanya, China.

For more information about Abu Dhabi’s 2014/15 VOR Stopover please go to www.volvooceanraceabudhabi.com or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiOceanRacing and @ADORlog.

                                                                        -ENDS-

ABOUT ABU DHABI TOURISM & CULTURE AUTHORITY

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction, which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The Authority manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The Authority supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key Authority role is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.

Abu Dhabi has been named ‘World’s Leading Sports Destination’ in the 2013 World Travel Awards.

About BBC Worldwide Ltd.

BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBC Worldwide exists to support the BBC public service mission and to maximise profits on its behalf. It does this through investing in, commercialising and showcasing content from the BBC around the world, in a way that is consistent with BBC standards and values. The business also builds the reach and reputation of the BBC brand overseas and champions British creativity.

In 2012/13, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £156m and headline sales of £1,116m and returned £156m to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: http://www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview

For more information on the Abu Dhabi VOR Stopover please contact:

Nathan Wilson – ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller

d. +971 2 633 4133

e. [email protected]

For more information on Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing please contact:

Justin Chisholm - Communications Officer, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing

d. +44 7769 938 722

e. [email protected]

For more information on Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority please contact:

Matt Ross

e. [email protected] 

Arabic enquiries please to:

Saood Al Harethi

e. [email protected]

For media information on the Volvo Ocean Race, please contact:

Jon Bramley - Director, News and Media

Volvo Ocean Race HQ (Spain)

Tel +34 966 011 150

[email protected]

Christina Gaither - Media Relations Manager

Tel +34 676 675 931

[email protected]

Editors’ Notes

• The next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race will be the 12th running of the 40-year-old event, which started in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race.


• The race will start on October 4, 2014, day of the first In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain, and finish with one last In-Port Race on June 27, 2015 in Gothenburg, the Swedish home of Volvo.


• The 38,739-nautical mile route will also include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Newport, Rhode Island (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France). A 24-hour pit-stop in The Hague is scheduled between France and Sweden.


• The next two editions will be contested in a new high-performance boat, the Volvo Ocean 65, designed by Farr Yacht Design in the United States and built by a consortium of boatyards in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Switzerland.


• The new 65-foot (19.8-metre) monohull racing yachts will be strictly One Design and delivered “ready to sail” for the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. The boats incorporate the latest video, satellite and content production facilities to further enhance the Onboard Reporter programme that has been in place since 2008-09.


• Six teams have been announced so far. The all-female Team SCA is the first all-women's team to compete in the race since 2001-02. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is once again skippered Britain's twice Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker. Dongfeng Race Team come from China and is backed by Dongfeng Commercial Vehicle. Team Brunel from the Netherlands is skippered by race veteran Bouwe Bekking. Team Alvimedica, the youth challenge will be led by All American Ocean Racing and carry a double Turkey/USA flag. A Spanish entry has been confirmed and the name of the team will be announced shortly.


• The previous Volvo Ocean Race started in October 2011 in Alicante and was won by Groupama sailing team, skippered by Frenchman Franck Cammas, in July 2012.


• The previous Volvo Ocean Race started in October 2011 in Alicante and was won by Groupama sailing team, skippered by Frenchman Franck Cammas, in July 2012.