Increasing regional opportunities in alternative assets, specifically the Dh9.84 trillion ($2.68 trillion) global hedge fund industry, is being explored at the Hedge Funds World Middle East 2008 Conference.

The four-day event began yesterday (March 3) at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai.

As media partner of the event, Eye of Dubai, the premier tourism and investment guidebook and online portal for Dubai residents and visitors, has been selected to send a representative to join 750 other elite delegates to the ninth edition of this year’s conference.

Keynote speaker CEO of Man Group PLC, the world’s largest listed hedge fund provider, Peter Clarke will give valuable insights on global trends affecting the sector and the businesses operating within it.

“Part of Eye of Dubai's mission is to collaborate with prominent industry events such as Hedge Funds World Middle East, where we can use our extensive market reach to promote the excellent investment climate offered by Dubai and the UAE as a whole. We will capitalise on our participation in this premier event, which is considered the region’s leading investor conference, to get the important views of renowned strategists, global macro traders, economists and investors on the potential of alternative asset instruments such as hedge funds in the region,” said CEO, Eye of Dubai, Abdullah Al Harbi.

Hedge Funds World Middle East 2008 will recognise and honour companies and individuals who have set standards of excellence, led the way in best practices and will be future pillars of the hedge funds sector via an awards ceremony.

Award categories will include Best Fund of Fund; Best Newcomer; Best Institutional Hedge Fund Manager; Most Innovative Project; Best Retail Product Provider; Best Fund Administrator; and Best New Fund. The Hedge Funds World Middle East Awards are rapidly becoming highly coveted industry prizes.

Eye of Dubai offers a wide range of interactive services and other resources related to business, culture, lifestyle and financial news in Dubai. It has been a recipient of several awards, including ‘Best Website of the Year,’ ‘Gold Award for Best Travel and Tourism Website’ and ‘Gold Award for Directories and Info Services’ at the 2007 UAE Web Wards.

It also won ‘Best Strategic Website for Travel and Tourism,’ 'International Standards Web technology Award’ and ‘Gold Award for Best Travel and Tourism Website' during the Pan Arab Web Awards 2007. – TradeArabia News Service