When Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi opened to the public in November 2025, the marketing and communications challenge was bigger than launching a new cultural destination. The team, including five Emirati employees, had to introduce audiences to a different kind of museum – one where rare specimens, immersive experiences, scientific research and stories come together to trace the story of life on Earth and what it can teach us about the future of our planet.
The challenge was to make that vast narrative feel immediate and relevant: to turn complex science into accessible stories that spark curiosity, invite discovery and help people form a deeper connection with the natural world.
At the heart of it was one deceptively simple question: why should this story matter? The answer shaped far more than an opening campaign. It helped establish a distinctive public voice for the museum – clear, curious, credible and engaging – while building relationships with families, students, researchers and lifelong learners designed to extend well beyond opening day.
The team comprises six women – who bring together Emirati and international perspectives – including five Emirati colleagues:
Telling a story that spans 13.8 billion years brings both opportunity and responsibility. in the museum’s galleries, visitors come fact to face with a Tyrannosaurus rex , a 25-metre blue whale , and the Murchison meteorite , which contains grains older than the Solar System.
Yet for all its global scale the story is never distant from the UAE; it is grounded in the landscapes, fossils and discoveries that reveal this region’s own place in the history of our planet.
“Working on the opening campaign for Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi was a defining experience in my career,” says Sara AlMazrouei , Acting Marketing Unit Head. “As an Emirati woman, there was something very special about helping introduce a museum that celebrates the UAE’s natural heritage while placing it within the wider story of our planet. My role was to help shape how that story reached audiences. After months of preparation, seeing people walk through the doors, engage with the museum and respond to what we had built together made the work incredibly rewarding. It was a moment that belonged to the whole team.
“Shaping the public voice of Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is a responsibility I carry with great pride,” says Fatima AlKatheeri , Acting Communications Unit Head. “The museum tells a story that is universal in scale, but many of its most powerful stories are deeply connected to this land. My role is to make those stories relevant, accessible and culturally grounded without losing the scientific accuracy behind them. Whether we are communicating new research, developing bilingual narratives, preparing our spokespeople or creating media opportunities for the experts behind the museum, the aim is always the same: to bring people closer to the science. What I find most rewarding is seeing a story that begins with a specimen, a discovery or a piece of research reach the public and spark curiosity about the natural world. For me, that is when communications has real meaning.”
The opening campaign introduced Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi to the public. The work that followed has been equally important: building an audience for the museum, maintaining its momentum, and showing that its story continues to evolve long after opening day.
Behind every campaign is a detailed process that is…