Rod Stewart signs up for luxury UAE event

Legendary rocker Rod Stewart will perform to an invitation-only audience in Abu Dhabi next year, it was announced on Wednesday.

He will be one of the headline acts at 'The Collection', an event to host auctions of rare art, vintage motor cars, celebrity jewellery and 100 high-end brands aimed at wealthy buyers.

Organisers said in a statement it would announced "other giants of the entertainment world" shortly as well as details of a tennis match between two former champions.

The event aims to match an audience of 15,000 specially invited high net-worth consumers with 100 of the world's iconic high-end brands - while featuring other international music legends and celebrity sports stars, a statement said.

Organised by The Vision Arabia Exhibition Organisers, the event will run from October 31 to November 2 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Chris James, managing director, The Vision Arabia Exhibition Organisers, said: "We are excited at the prospect of watching Rod Stewart live at 'The Collection' and he will wrap up day one of the three-day event, with a private performance for 5,000 fans."

"We will reveal details of more luxury participants and celebrities in due course, and this will be the first event of its kind in the UAE, if not the world," added James.

The UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain are among the top ten countries in the world by proportion of millionaire households, according to a study by Boston Consulting Group.

Predominantly as a result of GDP expansion in oil-rich exporting economies, private wealth in the Middle East and Africa grew to $4.5trn last year with the expectation that it will grow by more than six percent annually over the next five years to reach $6.1trn by 2016.

Exhibitors at 'The Collection' will include purveyors of fine art, vintage motorcars, antiques, yachts, fragrances, gems, travel, watches, real estate, home and garden and other luxury goods.