Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace was the centre of the sporting world as it played host to the Laureus Sports Awards for the second year in succession. Rafael Nadal and the Spanish national soccer team took home top honours at the star-studded bash. Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman were among the many A-listers who attended the show at Emirates Palace, which was voted “World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel” at 2010 World Travel Awards.

Delta Air Lines is introducing a premium economy section on long-haul international flights this summer as part of an on-going $2 billion upgrade programme. “Economy Comfort” will include new seats with four inches more legroom and 50 percent more recline.

Abu Dhabi could become home to its own pyramids, but these would serve as solar-powered energy generators rather than tombs. This follows a design featuring nine pyramids, similar in form to Egypt’s famous Great Pyramids of Giza, winning the UAE’s Land Art Generator Initiative, an architecture competion to promote carbon neutral developments.

Eric Clapton, the only three-time inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is to kick off the Abu Dhabi concert season by playing a one-off concert at Yas Island on 11 February.

The convergence of social media and mobile applications will have a profound impact on corporate meetings and events, but not in the way one might expect. In a new report and upcoming Online Event, PhoCusWright examines the U.S. corporate groups and meetings market, and how meeting planners, travel companies and technology providers can leverage the mobile-social “sweetspot” to their advantage.

One month into 2011, and the pace of life in Joburg is back in the full swing of summer, as Africa’s most exciting city gears up to host a full roster of world-class events, including Joburg Fashion Week, ATP SA Tennis Open and Meetings Africa, which all take place this month.