The 2011 Dubai World Cup proved the most successful yet in its 16-year history as the world’s richest horse race enjoyed an unrivalled level of excellence at its new home at the Meydan Stadium.

The who’s who of fashion, business and sport flew in from all over the globe to be part of the horse racing festival.

Fans cheered for more than 100 horses from 18 countries, reflecting the truly cosmopolitan appeal of Dubai. Meanwhile the Meydan, which opened in March 2010, basked in the spotlight as the new home of the world’s richest and most glamorous horse race.

In the evening, the race with the highest stakes, the $10 million Dubai World Cup was opened with a fireworks display and a theatre performance, and was won by Japan’s Victoire Pisa.

Celebrations went on late into the night, with headline musical acts by Jessie J and DJ Seb Fontaine.

Meydan is the most important new business, sporting and lifestyle destination in Dubai, and has elevated the emirate’s reputation even higher as a sport tourism hub.

Nestling four kilometres from the mouth of Dubai Creek, “Meydan” is translated from an Arabic word meaning “a meeting place”. In keeping with this philosophy, the development features an interconnected cityscape of four distinct districts where the worlds of business, sport and cosmopolitan-living merge and complement one another.

Meydan Racecourse
At the heart of Meydan City lies an architectural masterpiece – the iconic Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse. With a capacity of 60,000, this landmark stadium houses the world’s first luxury 5-star trackside hotel, The Meydan. Its world-class amenities include an exciting mix of food and beverage establishments. It also houses the Meydan Museum and Gallery, an IMAX Theatre, the Dubai Racing Club and Emirates Racing Authority offices, and can comfortably accommodate 8,600 vehicles in its majestic Falcon Carpark.

(The Presidential Suite, Meydan Hotel)

Currently the new home of the world’s horseracing elite, Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse has marked a defining moment in the sport’s global history by hosting the richest, most illustrious race - the Dubai World Cup. This icon is also the world’s largest integrated racing facility, which comprises of a 1,750m all-weather Tapeta surface track and 2,400m turf track, providing unsurpassed standards in racing facility and technology for the ultimate horseracing experience.

Meydan Metropolis
Designed to inspire, this prestigious address provides not just office spaces, but a living space complemented by retail establishments, business hotels and hotel apartments all supported by the highest standards in technology support, infrastructure development and state-of-the-art security.

Meydan Metropolis is ideal for corporations who are leaders in their industries and who rightly demand the best, offering international blue chip businesses the opportunity to position themselves in one of the world’s finest business environments.

This dynamic space features an expansive blend of commercial, retail and residential property along with its very own town club and hotel, alongside financial, telecoms, petroleum and technology corporations who recognise the productive inspiration this district offers. The result is a community designed to strike the perfect work-life balance; a space where residents and employees can effortlessly move between both elements of their lives, using one to augment the other.

(The Meydan ‘Ladies Floor’ features an entire level dedicated solely to female guests)

Meydan Horizons
Meydan Horizons is located at the heart of Dubai’s burgeoning new urban frontier and in close proximity to Meydan Racecourse. Conceived as a phased development, Meydan Horizons has a land size of approximately 15 million sq ft. Set amongst meandering canals, Meydan Horizons is a careful balance of premium commercial office space and stylish residential abodes.

It is also home to a Marina, the stunning Meydan Gateway Towers and Horseshoe Plaza. At every turn, impressive architecture and luxury create a vibrant urban atmosphere similar to that of the world’s leading capitals. It is the epitome of chic cosmopolitan culture, blended and distilled to provide a vital conduit for life, business and commerce.

Waterways starting from the end of Dubai Creek, loop through the city and ends at the marina of the Meydan Boathouse Club. Bicycle Lanes run alongside roads and parks and serve as an alternative means of ‘green’ and healthy transport.

Meydan Godolphin Parks
Meydan Godolphin Parks is a celebration of riverfronts as the focal point for cities of the 21st century. Exceptionally planned to create a riverine city, Meydan Godolphin Parks aims to be a model for developments that merge sustainable ecological engineering with urban lifestyle sophistication.

From the entry point in the east, the Godolphin River flows under Godolphin Tower, a 40-storey edifice with a thoroughbred horse image cut through its already impressive façade. Its remarkable design will make the building an outright destination for visitors and business travellers.

(Abdin Nasralla, VP, The Meydan is interviewed by BTN at ITB 2011)

Retail and mixed-use developments further add to the vibrant urban character of Meydan Godolphin Parks. The Signature Mall is also located in this district. This iconic mall is the anchor development providing retail and commercial spaces in a linear 1.4 km structure and is a first of its kind in terms of mall design in the region.

Its river promenades allow retail activities to be “engaged” with the riverine nature of this future city. Glass façades and promenade views enhance a visual connectivity between indoors and outdoors transforming the mall into an animated indoor urban park right at the core of Godolphin River City.

City.Mobi
With Dubai going from strength to strength, City.Mobi has recently launched Dubai.City.Mobi. This definitive guide provides visitors will all they need to know about this incredible destination, from entertainment info to booking hotels and airport transfers.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

Key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport. City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.

(Mard Dardenne, CEO Armani Hotels, shows off his WTA 2010 victory when the Armani Hotel Dubai picked up a host of top honours)

The ultimate travel accolade
Meanwhile Dubai will play host to the inaugural event of the World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour. The prestigious awards – known as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ – will be hosted at the iconic Armani Hotel on May 2nd. The who’s who of travel and tourism will compete for the ultimate industry accolade. To find out more about the nominees for this year’s event visit World Travel Awards.