Ryan Reynolds, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and Tucker Carlson are among the first speakers confirmed for LIVEX 2026 in Abu Dhabi. They will join former mayors of Paris, Bogotá and Melbourne as part of an international programme featuring more than 100 speakers.
The inaugural Liveability and Investment Exhibition will run at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 29 September to 1 October, bringing together figures from government, technology, media, climate and investment.
Alongside the conference, a dedicated Investors Lounge will operate in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Mubadala. Their investor services and platform teams will be present throughout the three-day event.
The lounge will provide a focused setting for discussions on investment opportunities as Abu Dhabi advances AED 450 billion in committed infrastructure investment. Its invitation-only programme will connect investors with government representatives, sovereign capital and the organisations shaping the emirate’s next phase of development.
“Liveability is increasingly a defining factor in attracting investment, talent and long-term economic growth. Abu Dhabi has focused on creating an environment where economic opportunity and quality of life reinforce one another. By bringing more than 100 international speakers into the same programme as investors and decision-makers, LIVEX connects a wide range of perspectives with the people and capital shaping the emirate’s continued development.” — H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Department of Municipalities and Transport
LIVEX will draw on Abu Dhabi’s experience of linking urban development with quality of life. The emirate has been recognised as the most liveable city in the Middle East and North Africa for seven considerable years in Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey and as the world’s safest city for ten consecutive years in Numbeo’s Safety Index.
Ahead of LIVEX, a travelling public installation will journey across Abu Dhabi for five weeks, inviting residents to share the stories, moments and ideas that make the city one of the world’s most liveable places.
Two further activations are building community momentum in the run-up to the exhibition. A Community Tour will invite residents to rediscover Abu Dhabi one pedal stroke at a time, cycling through some of the city’s most vibrant districts and public spaces to experience the mobility networks, active lifestyles and connected communities that shape its liveability.
Additionally, Children across the emirate are also taking part through Imagine What’s Next, a creative initiative that asks them one question: if they could add one magical thing to their neighbourhood, what would it be? Their artwork will feature in a digital mural and be showcased at LIVEX itself.
First speakers confirmed
The first confirmed speakers span government, technology, climate, media and investment:
- Ryan Reynolds— actor, producer and entrepreneur
- Anne Hidalgo — former Mayor of Paris whose administration expanded cycling infrastructure and advanced the 15-minute city approach
- Enrique Peñalosa — former Mayor of Bogotá, known internationally for the city’s bus rapid transit and public space reforms
- Sally Capp AO — former Lord Mayor of Melbourne who led one of the most liveable cities through unprecedented disruption, recovery and urban transformation
- Christiana Figueres — former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, who led the negotiations resulting in the 2015 Paris Agreement and co-hosts the Outrage & Optimism podcast
- Steve Chen — co-founder of YouTube
- Sebastian Thrun — founder of Udacity and former leader of Google’s self-driving car programme
- Adrian Grenier — actor, environmental advocate, founder of Earth Speed Media and UN Environment Programme ambassador
- Tucker Carlson — founder of the Tucker Carlson Network
The full list of confirmed speakers can be found on the LIVEX website: https://www.livex-global.com/en/conference/speakers.html.
