The second edition of Abu Dhabi Science Festival will be two days longer than its predecessor, with 20 per cent more capacity for visitors at the Abu Dhabi national Exhibition Centre (Adnec), said organisers.

The Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC), the Government entity supervising and coordinating the development of science, technology and innovation in the Emirate, has announced that the event will be from October 10 to 20 at Adnec) and the Corniche in addition to key locations in Al Ain and Al Gharbiah.

Over 100,000 visitors attended the 2011 edition of the event including over 16,000 students in organised school trips from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbiah.

This year’s edition will accommodate 25 per cent more organised school trips for which school registrations have started in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), the Festival’s education partner.

A key success factor for 2011 was the Science Communicators program which saw over 500 students from five universities in the Emirate that were trained as science communicators by world-class experts to present the festival’s activities in an engaging manner to children and families.

The 2012 edition of the festival is expected to attract the participation of even more science communicators that will be recruited from local universities.

Ahmed Al Calily, director general, TDC stated: “Last year, the Abu Dhabi Science Festival clearly demonstrated the need for informal science events in the Emirate as demonstrated by the high attendance levels.  This year’s festival is longer in duration and has more content to be able to meet the demand and at the same time enhance the visit experience.”

TDC is currently working to finalize key festival partnerships in coordination with Flash Entertainment as the Festival’s production partner for the second year. Additional information about the festival will be released in September, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service