The Summer of '21 (to misquote Bryan Adams) is unlikely to be a classic for many #UAE residents. While the last day of school term (around 6 July this year) usually signals a mass #expat exodus until the end of August as families sensibly seek the more temperate climates of their home countries, that is not going to be possible again this year for many of us, given continued travel restrictions.

So maybe - on a more positive note - we also won't see the summer business lull that normally occurs during these months. The growing time gap between the end of Ramadan and the start of the school summer holidays (now 8 weeks), should also mean that these two lower-productivity periods do not blur into and extend each other as they have in recent years (as Ramadan 'moves' two weeks earlier each year).

While I am personally still clinging on to the small hope that I will be able to visit my daughters in the UK (or somewhere else) in August, the Economist Corporate Network in #Dubai is nevertheless banking on more of its members remaining here than would be the case in 'normal circumstances'. And to keep you occupied, we will continue our programme of ECN events throughout the summer months.

This will include a 'Summer Survivors' Dinner' on the evening of Tuesday 24 August. I have booked the private dining room of Wakame at the Sofitel Dubai Downtown from 7pm for a five-course signature Asian meal with three hours of unlimited house or soft beverages.

We will be joined for this special event by Gregg Carlstrom, the Middle East Correspondent for The Economist, who will share with us his recent experiences of living in Beirut during the port explosion last year, and of visiting Jerusalem and Gaza after the recent Israel/Hamas conflict. Gregg has covered the region for more than a decade, with stints in Cairo, Beirut and Tel Aviv. His reporting and analysis on the Middle East has been published in a number of other publications, including Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic and Politico. His first book, "How Long Will Israel Survive: The Threat From Within," was published in 2017.

Because of the limited spaces available, this event is for primary ECN members only - and one representative per organisation.