Category Archives: Exhibitions

DXB Entertainments has signed partnership with Dubai Duty Free to promote Dubai Parks and Resorts to passengers arriving at all three Dubai International Airport terminals. Dubai Parks and Resorts will have a presence at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 for arrivals from December 2018 to January 2019, and will promote and sell tickets to the destination’s main theme parks, including MOTIONGATE™ Dubai, BOLLYWOOD PARKS™ Dubai, LEGOLAND® Water Park and LEGOLAND® Dubai. Around 88 million annual passengers, flying through the airport will be able to buy tickets upon arrival, to experience more than 100 rides and attractions across the four parks. Mohamed Almulla, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, DXB Entertainments, said, “We are delighted to partner with Dubai Duty Free to promote Dubai Parks and Resorts at Dubai International Airport, the main gateway to the country. This partnership is part of our ongoing efforts to promote the destination to international tourists across key locations in Dubai, by collaborating with some of Dubai’s iconic tourist facing brands. Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Duty Free said, “We are happy to work with DXB Entertainments for the convenience it offers to passengers in acquiring tickets to Dubai Parks and Resorts on arrival to Dubai. The tickets will be available at prominent desks at Dubai Duty Free at Arrivals and we know that they will be a popular purchase with our customers.”

All set to be held in Beijing on August 28 and 29, 2019, IBTM China expects over 380 international and domestic exhibitors to meet more than 400 hosted buyers during business meetings at the event. Over 3,500 visitors are also expected to attend. The year 2019 will see the introduction of a new experience zone where visitors will be able to interact with select exhibitors in immersive themed environments on the show floor. Additionally, in response to customer demand for more opportunities to learn and be inspired by outside speakers, eight new speaker slots have been added to the programme which will cover four key themes, details of which will be announced early next year. Nicole Ci, Project Manager, IBTM China, commented, “We’re excited to announce the first details of IBTM China 2019. We have ambitious plans to grow the event this year, including extending the breadth of both international and domestic exhibitors taking stands and increasing hosted buyer numbers. The market in China continues to boom and there’s huge demand for on-site education sessions. As a result, we’ve almost doubled the number of speaker sessions this year to 18. We’ll be following four topical themes to ensure the sessions are targeted to the latest hot topics, from key industry trends to event marketing and innovation. We’re looking forward to announcing more information about the event early in 2019.”

Golden Sands Hotel Apartments (GSHA) continues to be the preferred accommodation of visitors from India as shown by the increased interest received by the team at a tourism roadshow held in Delhi recently. Over 400 trade professionals comprising key travel and tour operators, wedding planners and upmarket leisure operators from the city attended the roadshow organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). Mohammed Khoori, General Manager, said, “The roadshow opened up new opportunities to tap agents who are not familiar with Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. It was the ideal platform to interact with a significantly higher number of travel agents and tour operators that market a new segment of travellers from India. The main market segments that we are looking at tapping in India this year are the group series departures and the family segment travellers who will be heading for the New Year and Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2019. Our main focus on expanding and consolidating ties with the new travel segment was to reach out to a larger audience and gain a higher market share.” Earlier in the year, the team of GSHA joined another DTCM roadshow and visited the cities of Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai and met potential partners and buyers.

The fourth edition of the two-day Sharjah FDI Forum titled ‘Shaping the Future of Economies’, got underway in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member Ruler of Sharjah. The event opened with optimistic comments by the HE Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, the UAE, and the Shurooq Executive Chairman about the nation’s readiness to promote foreign direct investments (FDIs) as an enabler of sustainable development, despite the slump experienced globally – especially in developed economies – in 2017. Al Mansouri shed light on how the new UAE Investment law has come into force to consolidate the nation’s position for FDI both regionally and globally, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Global flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 16 per cent in 2017 to an estimated US$1.52 trillion, from a revised US$1.81 trillion in 2016, according to the latest World Investment Report. The Economic Minister cited examples like the approval of 10-year visas for those in the fields of science, technology; new stimulus packages like bank guarantees; flexible remittances; 100 per cent business ownership by foreign investors; the promotion of entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and building capacities of national cadres. Al Mansouri remarked, “There is a need to promote cooperation and dialogue to turn this negative decline around. The UAE has number 1 position in FDI in the Arab region. It is forums like this that offer a platform for the same, and will contribute to mapping of FDI in Sharjah and the UAE.” He explained that the UAE Agenda 2021 has a focus on attracting qualitative investments targeted towards achieving sustainable …

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), in partnership with Sharjah International Marine Sports Club has announced The Sharjah World Championship Week to be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler, Sharjah from December 11 to 15, 2018. Two championship water sports competitions form part of the Grand Prix of Sharjah, which include the UIM F1H2O World Championship 2018 and the UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro Circuit World Championship and will be the main highlights of the event. HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Sports tourism is a key focus of Sharjah’s drive towards attracting 10 million tourists in line with the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. As a city which offers every member of the family an activity to enjoy, we are confident that this edition will be popular, successful and well attended once again by water sports fans, especially among the youth and the travel-driven millennials who love the challenge and exciting, competitive nature of water sports.” Up to 10 Formula 1 Powerboat Racers and 60 Aquabike racers from over 32 countries excel in showcasing their strengths navigating the tunnel-hull catamarans over the water. The key partners of the events include the Department of Seaports & Customs, Sharjah Police Headquarters; Sharjah Electricity & Water, Sharjah City Municipality; Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority; Sharjah Civil Defence and Sahara Centre. Other sponsors include Al Zahra Hospital as medical sponsor; Sharjah Media Corporation as media sponsor; Sharjah International Marine Sports Club as strategic partner; Hilton Sharjah, Royal Tulip the Act Hotel, Golden Tulip and Copthorne Hotel as hospitality partners. Nicolo di San Germano, Promoter, UIM F1 PowerBoat & Aquabike …

To celebrate the UAE’s 47th National Day, a host of events and festivities took place at Global Village recently. Expressing happiness on the occasion, Bader Anwahi, CEO, Global Village, said, “Commemorating the founding of this great nation, we at Global Village are proud of our tradition of bringing all people of the world together in order to celebrate and be happy. Our country has prospered and thrived on the premise of being a welcoming nation, open to all cultures and people, globally. Today, we reflect on the founding of the Union under the wise and visionary guidance of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who brought our Emirates together and put us all on a path to peace and prosperity. The UAE has, within 47 years, become one of the most advanced, affluent, and well-developed countries in the world, thanks to our wise leadership.” An exclusive event for the National Day celebrations is the Operetta – ‘Zayed: Leader of the Humans’, that was performed by a cast of more than 25 and was a dedication to the father and founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It was produced by Ornina Arts and Events and directed by Nasser Ibrahim, well-known across the region for developing some of the finest national and international shows. The Global Village fireworks have always been a favourite for UAE residents and tourists. For the 47th National Day, a mega-musical fireworks display also took place.

Etihad Energy Services hosted the 3rd Annual Dubai Green Hotel Innovation Conference organised by ACM in Dubai recently at the Ritz-Carlton Jumeirah Beach Residence. The conference convened experts, policy and decision makers, and key stakeholders under one roof where participants received updates on technological innovations and the latest practices being implemented to boost the local hotel sector’s environmental sustainability strategies, while improving operational costs and enhancing profitability. Ali Al Jassim, CEO, Etihad ES, said, “Over the years, hospitality industry in Dubai has grown exponentially. We cannot turn a blind eye on the environmental impact of hotels, especially in terms of their natural resource usage and energy consumption. The hospitality industry’s energy costs in Dubai account for a significant portion of total energy consumption. So, in order to decrease its energy demand and consequently contribute to Dubai’s 30 per cent energy demand reduction target by 2030, we encourage all key stakeholders to take action that has long-term positive impact.” An estimated 700 hotels are currently operating in Dubai, with more hotels expected to open before 2020. Al Jassim added, “In our collective efforts to make Dubai a leading example of energy efficiency for the region and the world, we at Etihad ES hosted the Annual Dubai Green Hotel Innovation Conference to highlight the important role of the hotel industry in achieving Dubai’s energy-efficiency targets. We are confident that it raises awareness and contributes towards improving the sustainability performance and energy-conservation efforts of these establishments as well as address pressing challenges to bring us closer to our vision of a sustainable future for all.”

At a time when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Plan is well underway to reduce the nation’s public-sector dependence by 2030, a delegation from Sharjah visited two major cities of the Kingdom — Jeddah and Mecca recently to explore prospects for new partnerships in non-oil sectors, which will drive regional growth. The Sharjah FDI office (Invest in Sharjah) led the delegation, taking them on a ‘Sharjah Roadshow in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’ through the two cities, and facilitated various networking meetings with leading Saudi businessmen, government representatives and industry experts. Through the two-day roadshow, Saudi Arabian players took a closer look at Sharjah’s rapidly diversifying and investor-friendly economy in major non-oil sectors including tourism, hospitality, real estate, trade, media, health, education, renewable energy and SMEs. They explored ways in which they can leverage these opportunities to promote and strengthen KSA’s private sector. The delegation comprised HE Aref Ali Al Tabour Al Nuaimi, Consul General of the UAE, Jeddah; HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Deputy Head — Industrial Investment, Sharjah Economic Development Department and Mohammed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO, Invest in Sharjah. The delegation also included Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Director — Government Relations, Sharjah Media City (Shams); Samer Bukamel, Vice President — Sales, ARADA and a number of officials and representatives from government and private bodies in Sharjah. Al Sarkal highlighted the strong bilateral relations the UAE and KSA share, especially in economic sectors. The UAE is the Kingdom’s biggest trade partner in the Gulf and greater Arab region. In 2017, the value of trade between the two countries was approximately $23 billion. He …

As part of the 47th UAE National Day celebrations, many institutions hosted a number of traditional events and activities. Emirates Airlines showcased various elements derived from the cultural heritage of the UAE which included Al Ayala Dance, a traditional Emirati dance performance, and Henna Art, which is considered an integral part of UAE celebrations. Manzil Downtown honoured the life and achievements of the nation’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan by hosting an exclusive Emirati poetry evening on of November 26. Her Highness Sheikha Dr Hind Al-Qassimi, members of board of directors, influential Emirati Culture and Heritage personalities, poets, folkloric musicians and media have joined Manzil Downtown management in honour of this special occasion. Sharihan Al Mashary, General Manager, Manzil Downtown, said, “Our nation connects through poetry and it is part of our Emirati culture, heritage and identity”, and this is how Manzil Downtown commemorates the UAE National Day and Year of Zayed.” The Flag Island, one of Sharjah’s tourist, family and leisure destinations, hosted music show in collaboration with the Higher Committee of National Day Celebrations in Sharjah. Khuloud Salim Al Junaibi, General Manager, The Flag Island, said:, “National Day celebrations reflect our appreciation and gratitude to our country and its wise leadership. We cordially invite all members of the community to participate in this national celebration at The Flag Island.” The Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) joined the entire country in celebrating the 47th UAE National Day, with its senior executives and staff renewing their loyalty and faith to the nation and its leaders. Amer Ali, Executive Director, DMCA led the commemoration held under the theme ‘This is Zayed, this is the UAE.’ He vowed …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to celebrate its 47th UAE National Day, as Dubai lights up with festivity and cheer. From special concerts, mall shows, city attractions and fireworks to promotions and traditional entertainment across the emirate, residents and visitors will be spoilt for choice as Dubai puts on a stunning display of activity to honour the UAE milestone. Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism, said, “This National Day, we want everyone – from Emiratis to Dubai’s residents and visitors – to embrace this momentous occasion. We are delighted to announce a vast array of activities taking place all over the city to mark the festivities, and are grateful to our city-wide strategic partners who have really pulled out all the stops to ensure that everyone gets to celebrate this great nation. With a host of events and celebrations taking place across Dubai, we anticipate a lot of footfall over the National Day weekend and encourage visitors to get to the venues as early as possible to really maximise their experience.” A number of events will be held in the emirate to mark the ocassion. On December 1, emirati artist Ahlam and Iraqi singer and composer Walid Al Shami will delight audiences with their repertoire at Burj Park, while famous Emirati singers Bulqees and Hussain Al Jasmi will perform at the same venue the next day. At Global Village, Emirati superstar Hamad AlAmeri will draw fans in with a special concert. Residents and visitors to Dubai will be able to witness a special treat with fireworks taking place across the city. Mall of the Emirates will be commemorating the UAE National Day …