The historic gathering of the hockey world, which features the Presidential election as well as further discussions surrounding the organisation’s 10-year strategic plan, dubbed the Hockey Revolution, is due to get underway today with a number of meetings and sessions.

A Turf and Field Forum is among the key items, along with a meeting of the FIH Executive Board – Negre’s last as President – before the Hockey Revolution Part II Congress officially begins tomorrow.

Delegates and attendees at the event at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai will be given further updates on the strategic plan, launched in 2014 with the aim of “making hockey a global game which inspires the next generation” after the sport narrowly avoided being cut from the Olympic Games programme.

This is set to include the updated event portfolio, which features axing the Champions Trophy and Hockey World League (HWL).

The much-maligned HWL which came under fire from players and officials within the sport due to its confusing format, and the Champions Trophy will be replaced by a new three-tier home and away competition.

It is scheduled to come into effect in 2019 and will have a direct consequence on the qualification process for future Olympic Games.

The FIH are likely to discuss a potential name for the event during the Conference, with governance also due to feature high on the agenda.

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) will present its recently developed new governance assessment tool to the FIH membership, comprising of five key principles and 50 indicators which the governing body will then implement.

Following a day of discussion and debate, the Hockey Revolution Awards will come to the fore at the Armani Hotel.

The main agenda item on Saturday (November 12) is the election for the FIH President, with Australia’s Ken Read, David Balbirnie of Ireland and India’s Narinder Batra battling it out for the top job at the organisation.

Batra, the current President of Hockey India, has targeted increasing the FIH’s revenue streams as a top priority should he be successful with his bid for the Presidency.

He admitted, however, that he has had to campaign harder than his two challengers, who both have extensive experience within the sport at administrative level.

Batra has also targeted increasing the amount of countries playing the sport.

Balbirnie is an honorary life member of Hockey Ireland, which has enjoyed a resurgence in the past few years, culminating in a historic first appearance at the Olympics in August since London 1908.

The former FIH Executive Committee member believes Ireland’s historic participation at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro demonstrates his "proven track record as a collaborative decision maker".

Australian Read is currently chair of the Hockey Tasmania Board, a position he will resign if he is elected as President, and holds the same role within the FIH Event Portfolio Panel, FIH Event Evaluation Panel and FIH Competitions Committee.

He has stressed he intends to "ensure the highest standards of governance" if he is chosen ahead of Balbirnie and Batra, while attempting to appeal to the electorate by insisting “everyone will have a voice”.

The victor will be tasked with overseeing the FIH at a time where its hierarchy is undergoing a vast degree of change, with a new chief executive in New Zealand’s Jason McCracken, the replacement for Kelly Fairweather, starting in February.