Arab News

DUBAI: VidCon, the world’s largest celebration of online videos, is coming to the UAE for the first time in March, it was announced on Sunday.

The inaugural edition of VidCon Abu Dhabi will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center from March 25-28, 2020.  

Founded in the US, VidCon is the world’s largest meeting point for fans, content creators, executives and brands and offers up networking opportunities for local and international content creators while also exploring new strides in the world of video consumption and online storytelling.

The event’s flagship show, VidCon US, celebrated its 10th anniversary in June, welcoming 75,000 attendees and more than 120 brand exhibitors to its base in Anaheim, California. Organizers also announced the first-ever VidCon Asia Summit this year, which ran from Dec. 3-4 in Singapore, and VidCon Mexico, coming in 2020, adding to its roster of international events in Australia and London.

VidCon was founded by YouTubers John and Hank Green — who run the successful Vlogbrothers YouTube channel — and was acquired by Viacom in 2018.

ViacomCBS Networks International has partnered with The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to bring the event to the UAE for the next five years.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, spoke about the announcement in a released statement, saying: “After the outstanding success of the recent Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, which formed part of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Family Week, we are delighted to be building upon our relationship with ViacomCBS with VidCon.”

For his part, Jim Louderback, general manager or VidCon, highlighted the popularity of online videos in the region. 

“There are millions of young people in the Middle East who turn to online video to connect with others and find entertainment, comfort and acceptance in social content and community-first content creators.  At VidCon Abu Dhabi, we want to bridge their online and offline worlds to create an unforgettable experience for fans and spotlight and celebrate the talented creators throughout the Middle East.”

The content creators who will attend next year’s VidCon Abu Dhabi are yet to be announced.