Tel Aviv’s Global City Vision

Don’t you just love it when you see great initiatives taking off in Israel? This is going to be a very exciting week here with the DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival 2014 starting in a few days (September 13 – 20). Industry leaders, entrepreneurs and investors are flying in from 22 countries to participate in an entire week of non-stop festivities, taking advantage of all the good Tel Aviv has to offer. On September 15th the fifth annual Cities Summit Tel Aviv 2014 will convene to bring together administrators and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Guests will discuss and analyze emerging trends in today’s technological innovations, and become equipped with all the essential tools, knowledge and expertise to help their cities flourish.

The city of Tel Aviv put on a grand show at the Tel Aviv Port over the summer. Hundreds of locals and tourists lined up at the waterfront every evening to watch a spectacular music and lights performance. There were so many things to see and places to go; everywhere you looked the port was packed. I looked around me and thought how far along Israel has come from the place I moved to in 1978, and was wondering who was behind it all. Today I figured it all out.

In 2010 Tel Aviv’s Mayor Ron Huldai put together a special task force for realizing the true potential of the city. The Tel Aviv Global & Tourism initiative was formed to position Tel Aviv as a global city – a leading international business center specializing in innovation. After reading more about what this special unit is doing I have to say: You’ve come a long way Tel Aviv.  What ambitious goals you have set for taking us into the next phase in the realms of high tech, culture, tourism and communication. It’s very impressive stuff. It is clear that a new level of collaboration among all government bodies is at play here, and everything seems to be precisely planned and executed like an Olympic event.

View the Tel Aviv Global City Vision presentation.

Tel Aviv is truly a very global place. There are people from all over the world coming and going all the time. Whether it’s business or pleasure, the city provides international standards that make anyone feel right at home.

I’m not a city girl at heart but there is plenty of nature for you in Tel Aviv. All along the coastline is a huge boardwalk for pedestrians with the most stunning sunsets you will see anywhere in the world. How small we seem when we are looking out at the ocean. When you are there in the heart of everything that makes Tel Aviv beautiful you will hear many different languages around you at all times. It makes you think how global the world has become. How far along this little start up we call Israel has come. How vital we are in the global affairs of the world. I am positive this will be a great week for Israel and the world.