Monocle Radio on the road: Broadcasting beyond the studio
Monocle Radio is built around being live and in the moment with listeners, readers and friends. From our bureaux in Tokyo, Zürich and Paris to pop-up broadcast locations across the world, we understand that something incredible happens when you gather talent around the mic.
Monocle Radio is with you 24/7. Whether it’s field reports from our international network, pop-up studios at global trade fairs and conventions or cocktails and conversation on a summer’s evening, we have it covered.
Milano Cortina Winter Olympics
For a fortnight in February, the eyes of the world turn to the snow-capped peaks of Northern Italy. As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics continues, Monocle’s team is stationed at the heart of the action. From our temporary studio, Andrew Mueller and Ed Stocker host a revolving door of the Games’ most influential figures.
World Governments Summit 2026
For three days in early February 2026, Dubai once again became a global crossroads. The World Governments Summit (WGS) gathered heads of state, ministers, technologists, business leaders and thinkers at Madinat Jumeirah, with the city acting as both stage and facilitator. The theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’ felt less like a slogan than a working brief.
Monocle’s team was on the ground throughout. Our café served some of the best coffee on site (frequented by the Dubai Police Chief, exhausted aides and the ever-circling advance teams of world leaders), while the Monocle Radio studio became a revolving door of prime ministers, presidents and policymakers, all keen to talk.
On the ground in Nuuk, Greenland
Our team arrived in Nuuk on 19 January, as tensions between the US and its Nato allies reached seismic levels regarding the island’s sovereignty. We produced three live shows and one episode of The Foreign Desk while on the ground, focusing on the big geopolitical stories but also speaking to ordinary Greenlanders about their lives, businesses and hopes for the future.
Upon Monocle’s arrival, several European countries had dispatched troops to Greenland mere days prior. Though small in number, this was a move intended to assuage Trump’s concerns over claims of Chinese and Russian forces endangering the island. The plan, however, backfired, further provoking his ire. Nuuk (with a population of approximately 20,000) was teeming with international media. Many of them were camera crews, filming live hits against snowy backdrops and buttonholing local residents. Our team was there to report on the geopolitical situation, producing three live episodes of The Monocle Daily and one of The Foreign Desk, as well as three written dispatches.
World Economic Forum, Davos 2026
Monocle Radio broadcasted all week from the Swiss mountain town during one of the biggest editions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in recent years. The event featured more than 800 C-suite leaders, 65 heads of state and 3,000 registered participants. Annual WEF meetings have never been cheap but this year’s summit blew its own budget, melting any concerns about whether Davos has lost its thrill.
We focused on the tension between the US and its Nato allies, the future of Ukraine and what 2026 has in store for business. We also had time for some lessons in better city-making.
The Monocle Weekender, Abu Dhabi
The Monocle Weekender was perfectly timed to coincide with the opening of the new Natural History Museum, designed by Dutch firm Mecanoo, which the crew got to visit on the very day that it opened to the public. Our attendees were of all ages and up for new experiences, coming from the US, China, Romania, Belgium, Turkey, the UK and Dubai.
It was a packed weekend during which friendships were forged and great meals shared. But the aim of these Weekenders is also to give people the chance to see a city afresh, meet the folk at the heart of the story and return home with some new perspectives – and it’s safe to say that we delivered on that.
Elie Khouri
Founder & chairman, Vivium Holding (Chairman, Omnicom Media Group, MENA)
Sumayyah al-Suwaidi
Director of cultural and creative centres, UAE Ministry of Culture
Marjan Faraidooni
Chief education and culture officer, Expo City Dubai
Steve Cox
Executive director, strategic marketing & communications, Abu Dhabi DCT
Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte
Director, Nomad
Mina al-Oraibi
Editor in chief, ‘The National’
Live from Mipim in Cannes
We were on the ground in Cannes for the global urban festival Mipim, the world’s leading property fair, where more than 20,000 sector professionals gather each year to discuss the future of our urban spaces. In between the scheduled interviews we met subscribers and listeners who had been passing by. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, told us why he’s not convinced that Heathrow needs expanding and why he thinks that Oxford Street will be pedestrianised. Minna Arve, mayor of the Finnish city of Turku, told us how her city will be net zero by 2029 and that even its shipbuilding industry is getting aboard.
Alice Charles, director of cities, planning and design at Arup, explained why house-building targets are often problematic and why a good first step is just working out how many empty properties you have. We talked to developers in Saudi Arabia, housing officials in Oman, a German pioneer reshaping Hamburg, a man reinventing the carwash, venture capitalists and Ukrainian entrepreneurs.
Mipim 2025: meet the mayors
We are on the ground in Cannes for the global urban festival Mipim, where we speak with mayors from around the world who are looking to stoke interest in their cities.
In conversation at The Ned
If we have learned anything from more than 10 years of making Monocle Radio’s The Urbanist, it’s that dialogue, debate and even a late-night drink can help to stir up the next big ideas for our cities. During our Monocle Mondays series, some 90 people gathered at Ned’s Club in London for a lively chat that celebrated how thoughtful design and bold leadership can improve citizens’ quality of life.
Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, hosted the evening; he was joined by Muyiwa Oki, the president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba), Nic Monisse, our design editor, and Carlota Rebelo, our senior foreign correspondent. Muyiwa argued that we shouldn’t focus on building. “Eighty per cent of the buildings that we’ll use in the next 30 to 40 years are already built,” he said, stressing the need for adaptive reuse rather than demolition.
It was a fitting message for the setting – The Ned, a former bank that is now a thriving hotel and members’ club, is an example of urban regeneration well done. The night’s key takeaway? Cities don’t design themselves and bringing people together is what makes them liveable, sustainable and great places to call home. Keep an eye out – we’ll be back at Ned’s Club for more Monocle Mondays soon.
Listen to the whole conversations, recorded live at Ned’s Club in London, below.
Live from Ned’s Club in London
Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, is joined on stage by Muyiwa Oki, the president of RIBA, alongside our executive producer, Carlota Rebelo, and design editor, Nic Monisse, to explore how thoughtful architecture, visionary…
Live from Ned’s Club in London: Quality of Life edition
Monocle magazine’s editor, Josh Fehnert, is joined by editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, foreign editor, Alexis Self, and senior foreign correspondent, Carlota Rebelo, to discuss what makes a city truly liveable.
The Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit
At the inaugural Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit, talk was not just about what was being built – there are 600 key projects in the pipeline valued at some $54bn (€47.7bn) – but also about urban liveability. Gathering all the news was Monocle Radio’s live operation in the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre. His excellency Mohamed Ali al-Shorafa, chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, organisers of the two-day gathering, joined the team at the top of the day to explain how data is driving this urban revolution.
From inclusive neighbourhoods and climate-resilient design to mobility and destination development, Monocle’s series of interviews explored how infrastructure is being redefined – not just as roads and bridges but also as a tool for better living.
Live from the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit
From inclusive neighbourhoods and climate-resilient design to mobility and destination development, we explore how infrastructure is being redefined – not just as roads and bridges, but as a tool for better living.
In partnership with UBS
As the longstanding anchor partner of Monocle Radio’s flagship daily news programme, The Globalist, UBS understands the power of great conversation to inspire and delight.
A key component of the partnership has been the role of live broadcasts, special editions and pop-up radio studios at events far and wide, from conferences in Sydney (pictured) and Hong Kong to the exhibition halls of Art Basel.
Through this collaboration, Monocle Radio brings its distinctive editorial perspective to UBS events and initiatives, creating meaningful dialogue between global thought leaders and our engaged international audience.
Special edition: Live from Sydney
A special live edition recorded in Sydney on the sidelines of UBS’s 2024 Australasia Conference. Nic Monisse hosts a discussion about better design, urbanism and hospitality, featuring insights from Sydney Design Week creative director…
