Why We Celebrate Emirati Women's Day, and How We Turned Meeting Rooms into a Majlis for 200 Guests
Behind the UAE’s progress are women who have been partners in it every step of the way.
Noura Hawilo
Conceptualiser
Why We Celebrate Emirati Women's Day, and How We Turned Meeting Rooms into a Majlis for 200 Guests
September, 2026
Behind the UAE's progress are women who have been partners in it every step of the way.
NOURA HAWILO
Conceptualiser
Why the UAE celebrates Emirati Women's Day
According to the UAE government, the day is commemorated every year to honour Emirati women’s contributions and their role as “key partners in the progress of the UAE” over the years. It is also an opportunity to highlight the country’s ongoing achievements and efforts in empowering and supporting women. mohapmohap
The day was founded in 2015 by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, and it also marks the founding of the General Women’s Union in 1975. Its stated objectives include celebrating the role women play in the UAE’s development journey, honoring the leading institutions that empower women, and addressing the emerging challenges women face locally, regionally and globally. mohapmohap
In her statement for Emirati Women’s Day 2026, published by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Sheikha Fatima spoke to the women of the UAE directly: “You are the extension of a cherished journey.” wam
Key partners. A cherished journey. Those words became our starting point for the celebration we created with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA).
Women have always been part of the story
MICE International was born in the UAE, and it has been an agency empowered by women from the very beginning. Over the past decade we have watched the progress here continue, but women have always played a key role in this country’s story. That isn’t new, and we wanted our work for FTA to say so.
The brief: honour, inspire, engage, empower
FTA wanted to celebrate Emirati women with its employees and invited guests. Together we shaped the event around four words: honour, inspire, engage, empower. The space was two meeting rooms inside FTA’s own offices, and the guest count was 200.
So the question became: how do you turn ordinary rooms into a place where 200 people feel part of a story?z
Starting with the story
We began with the women in it. We drew on traditional textiles, embroidery and floral patterns, then built an illustrated world of palms, falcons, dhows, forts and blossoms in a palette of rose, terracotta, mustard, sage and deep teal. It is rooted in heritage and contemporary in how it is applied.
Recreating the room
Then we made the room part of that world. Custom draping hung from the ceiling and walls, soft carpeting covered the floor, and clusters of floral and orange seating created the warmth of a majlis, the Emirati tradition of gathering and conversation. Meeting rooms became a place to linger.
How do you engage 200 guests?
Here is what we learned about designing for a crowd.
Give people a reason to move. We placed interactive moments around the space so guests explored rather than queued. On the Flip & Match wall, they uncovered inspiring Emirati women across healthcare, education, sustainability, space, media, law and more.
Make participation easy and fun. At The Matcha Challenge, guests made their own matcha from scratch, a hands-on activity that gets strangers talking.
Create places to pause. Not every guest wants to be busy. Majlis seating clusters gave people somewhere to sit, talk and take it all in.
Zone the space so people can flow. We planned distinct areas for arrival, gathering, activations and a workshop, so 200 guests could move without bottlenecks.
What the project reflected
- Start with purpose. Every design decision traced back to honour, inspire, engage, empower.
- Plan the flow before the furniture. Guest movement shaped the layout, not the other way around.
- Design within the building. Working inside a client’s own offices means every choice has to respect the space.
- One vision from concept to build. We handled the concept, look and feel, guest journey, interior design and production, so guests experienced one story instead of a collection of parts.
Planning a celebration of your own?
Whether you are a government entity or a private company, we design and produce celebrations, from national-day events to gala dinners and award ceremonies. Get in touch to start the conversation.
FAQ
What is Emirati Women's Day?
Marked each year on 28 August, it honours Emirati women’s contributions to the UAE and their role in its progress, and highlights the country’s continued efforts to support women.
Can you transform an ordinary office space into an event venue?
Yes. For this celebration, we redesigned meeting rooms with custom draping, carpeting and majlis-style seating.
What does MICE International handle on a project like this?
Concept, look and feel, guest journey, interior design and production, from the first idea to the on-site build.
