With thousands watching and attending from across the globe, BRIDGE Summit 2025 opened on Wednesday with a scale that has set a new benchmark for how nations, institutions, and creative communities collaborate to shape the global media, entertainment, and content landscape. As diplomats, ministers, international delegations, and industry leaders gathered in Abu Dhabi, the UAE once again affirmed its role as a global connector---where ideas, innovation, talent, and ambition converge. The opening ceremony established the direction for the three-day event, positioning BRIDGE Summit as a unified arena where nations, creators, innovators, and institutions come together to rethink the future of media, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and build a more trusted, interconnected, and forward-looking global ecosystem.
H.E. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed: “This is a country that has always welcomed the world, and BRIDGE is an extension of that spirit”
The ceremony opened with H.E. Abdulla bin Mohamed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of BRIDGE, affirming that BRIDGE Summit represents a living extension of the UAE’s spirit---open to the world---through which closeness between nations has become an identity, communication a message, and building bridges between civilizations a responsibility. This stems from the UAE’s belief that the world does not need more dividing walls, but rather more open windows and open doors.
His Excellency said: “Through the BRIDGE Summit, we seek to establish a new chapter in the future role of media. In the coming decades, we will witness artificial intelligence creating parallel worlds that humans will interact with. Yet here in the UAE, we believe that no matter how advanced technology becomes, it can never replace the human value that forms the essence of real media. It is values that give words their meaning; credibility that gives news its weight; and responsibility that grants media its legitimacy in the eyes of the people. Without these values, media becomes an echo of chaos rather than a voice of awareness.”
H.E. Al Hamed added: “BRIDGE is an evolving platform designed to build a global dialogue on the future of media and its ethical and social responsibilities. We believe that true media preserves the highest standards of credibility, for impactful media is not the one that creates noise, but the one that leaves a noble impact on minds and hearts. Our wise leadership has taught us that leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege; that the future is not awaited, but built; and that real success is not measured by being first, but by the impact one creates. From this philosophy, we believe that the next era of media must be built on three pillars.”
He continued: “The first pillar is trustworthy media, which places truth above all considerations and grants people the right to know, without distortion or manipulation. The second pillar is innovative media, which uses modern technologies---from artificial intelligence to data analytics---to serve awareness, not to manipulate it. The third pillar is human-centered media, which views the world through a lens of compassion and understanding, and celebrates difference as a value, not a threat.”
His Excellency concluded by emphasizing that the Summit is a new step in a long path the UAE is building to elevate the value of dialogue, and empower media to play its role in strengthening bonds between people. He expressed confidence that the ideas and partnerships emerging from the Summit will help establish a more collaborative media future, affirming that the bridges built today will grant future generations a wider horizon.
Earlier, H.E. Abdulla Al Hamed inaugurated BRIDGE Summit with a message addressed to the entire world in seven languages---a symbolic reflection of the Summit’s mission to connect peoples and civilizations through dialogue, technology, and shared purpose.
In his message, he said: “Let us create the future we aspire to---where the stories we tell become bridges that bring us closer, not barriers that divide us. Thank you for joining us---and welcome again to BRIDGE Summit.”
H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi: “At BRIDGE, disruption is not the goal. Disruption is the tool… for progress”
Welcoming BRIDGE Summit attendees to Abu Dhabi, H.E. Dr. Jamal Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi, Vice Chairman, BRIDGE, said: “A day before the opening, the numbers from the BRIDGE App spoke for themselves: 14,618 messages exchanged. 425,000 searches. Over 2 million interactions. 7,000 networking actions. 871 pre-booked meetings. In tech language, that is called product—market fit. As my team likes to say --- we went live before we even went live. So today, as we open BRIDGE Summit, we do not begin with empty halls. We begin with a community already connecting, learning, and moving. But connection alone is not enough. What sustains it… what gives it meaning… is trust. And trust grows through stories. Stories are what move the world.”
He continued: “BRIDGE has grown through stories that inspire, connect, and empower. From Washington to London, from Cannes to Tokyo, from Seoul to Shanghai and Cairo --- we listened closely to every story shared along the way. And when we take the time to listen to the stories of others we begin to understand their journeys, struggles, and dreams. In that moment, their story becomes our story too. And when we truly understand one another, we find common ground. From that understanding, new ideas are born, new partnerships are formed, and new bridges are built. This is no longer one organization’s story. It is a global story. And we are writing it together”.
He added: “On behalf of the BRIDGE Alliance, thank you for your trust. We are united not by coincidence --- but by conviction. The conviction that media, content, and entertainment can be forces for good in a world that urgently needs them. Today, we are not simply launching the world’s largest debut media event. We are laying the foundation for industry-wide transformation.”
“Eight months ago, BRIDGE was an idea, which stemmed from a powerful question: why are the people leading transformations across cultures, industries, and generations working in isolation? From this question came the idea of creating one space where creators, innovators, and leaders meet as a unified global force rather than separate sectors. That is how BRIDGE was born. Not from a plan. But from belief. And belief is what moves people. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before the world and said: ‘I have a dream.’ Not a strategy. Not a roadmap. A dream. Because great human achievement begins with a belief. Plans only come after. And that is why we are here today”, he further added.
“We believe media, content, and entertainment are not just industries. They are forces --- for trust, for growth, and for unity. Yet for all their power, they never had one true home. This is why BRIDGE exists. This is where the media industry finally meets itself. At BRIDGE, disruption is not the goal. Disruption is the tool. When aligned with purpose, disruption becomes progress. And this belief shaped everything we built, and you can see this clearly across the hallways of the summit --- and even through our mobile app”, H.E. Dr. Al Kaabi concluded.
Richard Attias: “Built with the passion of more than 1,000 people in the UAE, BRIDGE is a gift from Abu Dhabi to the world”
Extending a warm welcome to the Summit’s attendees, Richard Attais, strategist and Chairman’s Strategic Advisor to BRIDGE Alliance, noted: “We had a simple but strong conviction: that the global media community had no real home, no place to brainstorm, no place to connect, no place to imagine the future, and no place to build partnerships or pause long enough to understand what is truly happening in our world. Today, that idea becomes reality. BRIDGE is no longer a concept --- it is an alliance.”
“Built with the passion and generosity of more than our 1,000-strong team in the UAE, BRIDGE is a gift from Abu Dhabi to the world. From an idea conceived eight months ago, to a summit gathering the brightest minds in Abu Dhabi today, to what will soon become the number one media platform in the world. Not because we say so, but because our world needs it. Welcome to BRIDGE, where the world’s media finally has a home, a voice, and a future”, he added.
A ceremony rooted in the human story of communication
The opening ceremony continued with a short film tracing humanity’s earliest attempts to communicate---from primal gestures and cave markings to the birth of language, which became the first bridge between people. The narrative moved through Mesopotamian scribes, the libraries of Alexandria, the invention of the printing press, the rise of cinema, radio, and television, and the moment in 1969 when a simple message passed between two computers and changed the trajectory of the world. The film reflected on today’s digital age, where virtual empires rise, misinformation spreads rapidly, and AI evolves fast enough to blur the line between reality and untruth---before grounding the UAE at the crossroads of this global evolution.
A young Emirati then took to stage, offering a reflection on discernment in an age of AI, urging the audience to remain anchored in truth as technology advances. A choreographed performance by eight contemporary dancers followed, depicting a fragmented world overwhelmed by mistrust slowly reconnecting through the building of a bridge---symbolizing BRIDGE Summit’s mission to unify and empower. Emcee Tumi Magkabó closed the segment by highlighting the scale of today’s content landscape: gaming now rivals TV and film combined; 67% of creators use AI; and cross-sector collaborations have surged by 340% in just three years. “Welcome,” she concluded, “to the largest debut media event in the world.”
The debut edition of BRIDGE Summit takes place from 8-10 December 2025 at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi.
