The 2019 SWEA World Conference

Last week I had a completely full schedule with a job that I booked - already 1,5 year ago! It was for SWEA - the Swedish Women's Educational Association, an association of around 7,000 Swedish women living abroad in over 30 different countries, which promotes Swedish culture and tradition.

Every second year they get together at a World Conference. Previously it has been held in Kuala Lumpur, Arizona, Bologna and Perth - and now 2019 it was going to be here in the UAE, in Dubai; and the planning for this conference started already in the beginning of last year..!
For five days 300 Swedish ladies were here to conduct a conference, hold meetings and network; but also join the many excursions, dinners and other fun happenings which were organised to let them get to know this beautiful country a bit more!

I was booked to take them on an Abu Dhabi city tour and as the interest was so huge, I ended up doing the same tour three days in a row, each day with a full bus of ladies!

I took them to see the beautiful Sheikh Zayed Mosque of course, the absolute jewel in our crown of sights here in Abu Dhabi. All three groups thoroughly enjoyed this visit, the Mosque never fails to impress!

Before their program took them for a quick visit of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, it was time for a nice buffet lunch with a view over the Corniche and the Arabian Gulf.

One of the days there was actually a familiar face in the bus, a friend of mine who live in Canada, and who is also part of SWEA. Last time we met was 13 years ago, in Amsterdam. Really nice to get to show Cia around my 'hoods'.

Since many of the ladies had flown from afar, there was also two "After-Trips" planned for those who wanted to extend their stay and discover some more of the UAE, once the conference was officially over.
One went to Ras-Al-Khaimah and the other one here to Abu Dhabi, so I continued to work for a few days, but then with the same group of ladies.

I took them too on a city tour, but with a slightly different program. After their visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, these ladies got to visit the Emirates Palace and enjoy their signature gold cappuccinos:

They also got to visit the symbolic birth place of Abu Dhabi, Qasr al Hosn, and have a luxurious Afternoon Tea at Etihad Towers, lush, lush, lush!

On the last day of their stay, they got a guided visit of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
It was so nice for me to get to do this tour in Swedish, or actually work at all in Swedish; it's quite rare for me that it happens. This whole week was really so much fun for me!

Caroline and Malou - the two hostesses from SWEA Middle East who looked after the visiting ladies while here in Abu Dhabi, were doing a fantastic job! Great team work!