Without a doubt, 2024 was exceptional for those working in the outdoor advertising sector in the region. It witnessed record-breaking figures, an unprecedented number of new billboards, and a strong presence of digital advertising and digital screens.
Dubai also welcomed a comprehensive restructuring of its outdoor advertising systems alongside other Emirates across the UAE.
I won’t hide the fact that the stakeholders in the outdoor advertising industry are probably the only ones who have become happier as traffic increases and the population density of the UAE grows gradually.
This also reflects the way we think. At the Financial Sustainability and Investment Department of the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, we have always looked at every challenge as an opportunity.
From the midst of difficulties, profits are generated, and exceptional results are achieved.
Exceptional opportunities for OOH on the UAE’s federal roads
Take for instance the federal roads in the UAE, which have a total length of more than 952 kilometres, representing the longest network of external roads in the United Arab Emirates.
These federal roads present a genuine opportunity for investors to extend and expand their advertising base, and to move away from concentrated advertising hotspots. These federal roads also offer an opportunity to obtain better visibility and broaden the horizon for creative advertising experiences, with novel ideas and redefined standards for creativity.
In 2024, we witnessed the signing of several investment agreements to leverage new advertising locations, with more than 40 outdoor advertising investment companies shifting their focus to federal roads within the UAE.
These included a spectrum of road assets evenly distributed between streetlight advertisements, bridge banners, tunnel advertisements, megapole and unipole boards, and, of course, huge hoarding panels, which were the most popular on our roads this year.
Some of these massive billboards even exceeded 100 metres in length – representative of the significant real estate boom across the UAE in 2024.
During the peak of the scorching summer in August, our team was searching for an opportunity to meet the increasing demand for large boards on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Federal Road (E311), but concluded that no additional land was available in the Sharjah segment.
What does this show? The demand within the industry remains high, investors remain extremely confident, and the industry has proven its effectiveness within the market.
Looking to the future
Some have raised the question: was outdoor advertising lucky to be the platform least affected by the social media advertising revolution, which has significantly affected advertising across other traditional media such as newspapers and television?
From my perspective, I would say it is quite the contrary: social media was lucky in 2024 because outdoor advertising did not take too much of its market share.
The biggest challenge in the coming period will be the coordination among various land-owning institutions, energy providers and those responsible for advertising material permits to achieve integration and create quick and comfortable experiences for investors.
This move is in line with our government’s policy to reach ‘zero’ bureaucracy, ensuring we remain at the forefront of making the UAE the first and best destination for investors in the region amidst healthy competition in all fields among various players.
Our doors at the Investment Department are open to any non-traditional ideas that contribute to the development of our fixed assets, which also include major water dams, a vast reserve of federal roads, and iron bridges, among others.
Our belief in the importance of partnership with the private sector, due to its expertise and field presence, makes us eager to hear more from it.
By Ahmed Abdullah Al-Hamadi, Director, Financial Sustainability and Investment Department, UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
