G'Day UAE — Australia, United Arab Emirates
Australia · United Arab Emirates

It’s how every good Australian relationship starts

Australians have one word for hello: G’day.

The same greeting, for a prime minister or a stranger at the beach, and it means the same thing to both: no ceremony, no pretence, let’s talk. Australia and the UAE have fifty years of diplomatic relations, a Strategic Partnership, a trade agreement in force. What’s been missing is the G’Day: the room where the people who actually decide things meet in person and collaborate. G’Day UAE is that room. It brings together the people who run governments, companies, creative industries and sport in both countries, and gives them a reason to be in the same place at the same time. A platform for turning an introduction into a relationship that lasts.

The G’Day UAE Gala Partner With Us
Launches December 2026 Abu Dhabi In the one week the whole world is already in town: the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, Abu Dhabi Finance Week, the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi and the Water Summit.

/ About

A culture of respect and trust

Countries build relationships the way people do

G’Day UAE is Australia’s flagship platform for public, cultural, sporting and economic engagement with the United Arab Emirates. Our two countries share more than most people realise: a love of sport, a serious respect for hospitality, and a preference for doing business with people you actually know and trust. It is designed to build deeper, more practical relationships between Australian and Emirati leaders.

Why now

On 29 September 2025, PM Anthony Albanese made an official visit to the UAE, marking fifty years of diplomatic relations and a new Strategic Partnership. Days later, the Australia–UAE CEPA came into force. The framework is done. G’Day UAE is what happens next. Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics give it a solid runway to build relationships that outlast any single event.

How it works

G’Day UAE starts with what the two countries already share: culture, sport and generous hospitality. It centres around an annual Gala. Industry Dialogues follow, each timed to sit alongside an event already on the UAE calendar, with a Leaders Meeting added to deepen ties, exchange ideas, and create opportunities.

Learn more about the program

Who is behind it

G’Day UAE is delivered with the support of the Australian Embassy in the UAE, working with the UAE Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Austrade, Tourism Australia, state and territory governments, and Australia’s business councils in the UAE also support G’Day UAE. Established by co-founders Michael Jacobsen and Maria MacNamara, we are supported by Operations Director Sam Noonan and Creative Director Daniela Ion.

Meet the team

/ The G’Day UAE Gala

Australia turns up the volume

This is the only event created to recognise Australians’ contributions to commerce, culture and sport in the UAE, and the first of its kind between our two countries. It is also, unapologetically, an Australian night out: the music, the culture, the food, and the particular Australian talent for making a black-tie room feel relaxed. The G’Day UAE Gala becomes annual: a fixture on the UAE cultural calendar and the night of the year for our community across the Emirates.

G’Day-style gala dinner
The evening

The night opens with formal recognition and moves to celebration. A global Australian artist headlines, and Australian and Emirati musicians share the stage. First Nations culture, the oldest living culture on earth, is presented to a UAE audience, and the food and performance reflect the hospitality for which Australians and Emiratis are known.

The awards
Excellence in the Performing Arts
Excellence in Sport
Rising Star
Partner with G’Day UAE

/ Industry Dialogues · from 2027

Small by design, and timed to advance the commercial and economic cooperation

In the coming years, Industry Dialogues will be introduced. They will become conversations between senior Australian and Emirati leaders, timed to sit alongside an event already on the UAE calendar and built to help commercial and economic cooperation. The room will be small by design.

01

Culture and Sport

Creative industries, major events and the business of both.

Anchor: around the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

02

Innovation and Technology

Space, AI, quantum, climate tech, agtech.

Anchor: Australia–UAE Innovation Summit

03

Financial Services and Investment

Sovereign wealth, institutional investors.

Anchor: ahead of Abu Dhabi Finance Week

04

Energy

Resources and the shift to clean power.

Anchor: around ADIPEC and Sustainability Week

05

Education and Research

Higher ed, research, commercialisation.

Anchor event [to come]

06

Security and Resilience

Cyber, command, control, surveillance.

Anchor: ahead of IDEX

New sectors coming soon.

Register your interest

/ Partner with G’Day UAE

Say G’Day first!

We have brought together a powerhouse of support from Australia and the UAE. You are invited to join us in laying the foundations of a lasting bridge between our two countries.

FOUNDING AND PRODUCING PARTNERS

Strategic Partners

Key Sponsors and Corporate Partners

Full partnership packages, including inclusions and investment levels, are available on request.

/ Team

We have assembled a cross-border leadership team with tremendous depth of experience, expertise and access to local and global networks

Meet the Leadership Team

His Excellency Ridwaan Jadwat
His Excellency Ridwaan Jadwat Australian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates
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Michael Jacobsen
Michael Jacobsen Co-Founder, G’Day UAE
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Maria MacNamara
Maria MacNamara Co-Founder, G’Day UAE
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Sam Noonan
Sam Noonan Operations Director, G’Day UAE
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Daniela Ion
Daniela Ion Creative Director, G’Day UAE
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Fred Pekar
Fred Pekar Project Delivery Director, G’Day UAE
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/ Supported by

G’Day UAE is delivered with the support of the Australian Embassy in the UAE, working with the UAE Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Austrade, Tourism Australia, state and territory governments, and Australia’s business councils in the UAE also support G’Day UAE. Established by co-founders Michael Jacobsen and Maria MacNamara, we are supported by Operations Director Sam Noonan and Creative Director Daniela Ion.

/ News

Latest News

View all news
G’Day UAE to launch in Abu Dhabi this December
Announcement22 September 2026

G’Day UAE to launch in Abu Dhabi this December

The inaugural programme opens the week of 7 December 2026, alongside Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.

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Industry Dialogues: six sectors, one year-round programme
Industry Dialogues10 September 2026

Industry Dialogues: six sectors, one year-round programme

From culture and sport to security and resilience, each dialogue connects Australian leaders with their exact UAE counterparts.

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Partnership opportunities now open for the inaugural Gala
Partnerships28 August 2026

Partnership opportunities now open for the inaugural Gala

Founding partners will shape the only platform of its kind, with a direct line to Australian public and private leadership.

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/ Contact

Say G’Day

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