The Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX 2024) has forged a landmark partnership with The Game Fair, Britain's premier annual country and rural sports event held at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire — uniting two of the world's foremost celebrations of traditional outdoor sports under a single UAE-UK cultural alliance.
ADIHEX 2024: A Record-Breaking 21st Edition
Now in its 21st year, ADIHEX 2024 ran from 31 August to 8 September at the ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative of Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Emirates Falconers' Club. The exhibition, organised by the ADNEC Group and supported by the Emirates Falconers' Club, drew 1,742 exhibiting companies and brands from 65 countries — a 58.5 percent increase on the previous year — across more than 87,000 square metres of floor space.
The 2024 edition carries the theme "Sustainability and Heritage… A Reborn Aspiration," reflecting ADIHEX's dual mission of preserving UAE cultural traditions while championing environmental conservation and modern sporting enterprise.
The Game Fair Partnership Explained
Under the new multi-range joint partnership, ADIHEX became the main sponsor of the falconry area at The Game Fair, and 10 leading British companies — backed by the British Government — exhibited at a dedicated Game Fair pavilion inside ADIHEX. The arrangement creates a two-way platform for sharing expertise, ideas, and international industry trends across falconry, equestrian sports, shooting, and fishing.
Dr. Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNEC Group, said the partnership with The Game Fair is vital for sustaining and developing cherished traditions, adding that it elevates ADIHEX to a new benchmark of excellence and innovation on the global stage.
James Gower, Managing Director of The Game Fair, welcomed the collaboration, noting that both organisations share the same objectives of promoting falconry, culture, and conservation — values that have defined both events for decades.
Shared Values Across Two Nations
The Game Fair showcases the full breadth of British countryside life — equestrian sports, shooting, fishing, and rural craftsmanship — through competitions and live demonstrations in the Main Arena at Blenheim Palace. ADIHEX, meanwhile, brings together weapons and hunting suppliers, falconry practitioners, equestrian performers, and conservation experts from across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.
The partnership reflects the historically rooted relations between the UAE and the UK, strengthening people-to-people ties through a shared passion for heritage sports and outdoor traditions that stretch back centuries in both cultures.
Why the ADIHEX–Game Fair Alliance Matters
With 65 participating countries and a floor area that has grown 14-fold since the inaugural 2003 edition, ADIHEX has established itself as the largest hunting and equestrian exhibition in the Middle East and Africa. Aligning with The Game Fair — one of Europe's most attended outdoor sports events — amplifies both events' international reach and positions Abu Dhabi as a global hub for heritage sport diplomacy.
