du announces lucky winner of Andrea Bocelli AED 10,000 raffle

du, the UAE’s integrated telecom services provider, announced today the lucky winner of the grand AED 10,000 raffle prize, from the entries made to the draw during the Andrea Bocelli concert in Abu Dhabi.

Australian national Ranjith Powell was selected as the winner after entering the draw at Italian operatic pop tenor and classical singer Andrea Bocelli’s concert, held live at Emirates Palace on 27 March.

People were entered into the draw via an on-the-spot activity at the Emirates Palace venue, which asked people at random if they wished to participate in the du ‘Smart People’ activity. Those that agreed were photographed, and their image uploaded to the www.smartpeople.ae website. All those that were photographed were entered into the raffle, with an equal chance to win the AED 10,000 grand prize.

Powell, who has lived in Dubai for two years and subscribes to du services including TV, landline, internet and mobile, explained how he came to enter the competition. He said; “My friends had invited me to the concert and even though we were running late, I noticed the du raffle promotion and decided to enter, despite my friends telling me there was no point! When I found out I had won, they couldn’t believe it and said that it was meant to be! I am absolutely thrilled to have won this fantastic prize thanks to du, especially after having such a great evening at the concert. With the money I’m going to buy gold and jewellery for my mother. Thank you du!”

Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du, said: “The Smart People activity was a fun and experiential way to connect with customers and present to them our new Elite and Premiere Plans in a unique way and part of a teaser campaign towards the launch of those products. We then added the element of excitement by offering all participants the chance of winning a cash prize. We congratulate Ranjith on his good luck and are happy that the activity was such an astounding success, enjoyed by all of those that took part.”

The Andrea Bocelli event, sponsored by du, formed part of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival, in conjunction with Flash and LiveNation. du remains committed to bringing the best in entertainment to the UAE by sponsoring a number of diverse music concerts, and to bringing du to life for customers through competitions and other experiences.

Modhesh World – Celebrating 10 Years Of Achievements And Success

Join Modhesh at Modhesh World tomorrow (Thursday 25th June, 2009) to celebrate 10 outstanding years of Modhesh and the region’s largest indoor theme-park entertainment centre.

Tomorrow, Modhesh and his friends will be at Modhesh World from 10am to take part in the biggest summer party of 2009. Celebrating 10 years of success as the region’s Number one summer attraction, Modhesh World presents a celebration unlike any other, in honour of its namesake, Modhesh.

Destined to be the greatest party in town, children can meet with Modhesh and their favourite cartoon characters. Modhesh will receive a massive birthday cake as a tribute to his 10 years of fun and amusement.

Everyone is welcome to come down to Modhesh World tomorrow and enjoy the many attractions and activities that this astounding indoor theme-park has to offer, with over 40 zones of thrilling amusements and entertainment.

As a special homage to its 10th year, guests can enjoy a step back in time with the Modhesh Wall of Fame – showcasing images of years gone by at Modhesh World, plus children celebrating their 10th birthday will receive free entry to Modhesh World for themselves and their entire family. All that children need to do is call Ahlan Dubai on +971 600 54 5555 and register.

There are also opportunities to win fabulous prizes just for being at Modhesh World tomorrow. All children that arrive at Modhesh World will automatically go in the draw to win exciting prizes and surprises giveaways.

It is an event not to be missed, filled with joy and fun for the whole family – we’ll see you there at Modhesh World!

Modhesh World doors open at 10.00am – 10:00pm on weekdays and from 10:00am – 12midnight on weekends, 3:00pm – 12midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 – adults and 15 for kids with numerous free games and rides, including free entry to the Arts and Crafts Zone.

Emaar Properties Partners With Standard Chartered Bank To Offer Two Easy Home Finance Options

Emaar Properties has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank to extend two easy home finance packages for all its projects in Dubai that will be delivered in the next nine months.

Standard Chartered Bank will offer two mortgage products – the Asset Back Lending (ABL) Product and Standard Mortgage Product (SMP). The Asset Back Lending (ABL) Product offers an easy loan of up to 40 per cent of the property price with mortgage of AED 100,000 to AED 2.5 million will be provided for a tenure of 3 to 25 years.

The Standard Mortgage Product offers a standard loan of up to 75 per cent of the property price. Potential end-users and customers can obtain financial support from AED 150,000 to AED 10 million for a tenure of 3 to 25 years.

The home finance options will cover an extended portfolio of Emaar projects including apartments and villas in Dubai in prime locations such as Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai Marina, Arabian Ranches and Emirates Living. The ABL easy loan is particularly tailored for current investors and end-users seeking financial support to complete the remaining payments before handover, while the standard mortgage will appeal to all potential home-buyers.

Mr Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director – UAE, Emaar Properties, said: “The partnership between Emaar Properties and Standard Chartered Bank is a huge confidence booster for Dubai’s property sector, as it marks the strengthening of liquidity levels. Emaar has always been at the forefront of industry-leading initiatives and this collaboration will further invigorate the market and strengthen investor confidence.”

He added: “The two easy mortgage plans are tied in for the projects that are to be delivered in the next nine months. The ABL product, an easy loan, particularly underscores our commitment to support investors who have been affected by the unprecedented challenges of the global financial crisis.”

Commenting on the partnership, Chris de Bruin, Head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered UAE said, "This is an exciting opportunity for Standard Chartered to broaden the core range of our home finance solutions which are offered by us in both conventional and Shariah compliant varieties. The introduction of this new line up is part of the larger consumer banking concept that Standard Chartered has created specifically to be more customer centric.”

Potential customers can visit the Emaar Sales Centre within Downtown Burj Dubai or the nearest Standard Chartered Bank branch located at Emaar Business Square and complete the formalities to avail of the mortgage. They can also call toll-free 800-EMAAR (36227) or the Standard Chartered Bank hotline at 600-522288 for more details. Customers can also email at home.loans@sc.com to fix an appointment with SCB’s Home Loans Sales Representatives.

Emaar has already handed over several thousand homes in Dubai. World-class villas and apartments in integrated communities with all lifestyle amenities are being developed in Downtown Burj Dubai, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina and Emirates Living – the four Emaar communities.

Spacetoon’s ’Save This Earth Show’ Brings Awareness On Environment To The Fore

Spacetoon’s ‘Save this Earth’ staged at Modhesh World Theatre has become a highly popular show with crowds swarming to see this amusing and educational show, with many of them enjoying the show for a second and third time.Modhesh World Theatre is acclaimed for its larger than life, fun, exciting edutainment shows. Spacetoon’s ‘Save the Earth’ touches every child’s imagination and supports the values that Modhesh stands for.An Arabic show, it is a story about two little children Noora and Amura who befriend the inhabitants of the forests and take on the huge task of saving the earth from the evil, Dammar, and his friends Tambol and Minfiq.‘Save the Earth’ tells the story of Noora and Amura’s adventure to defeat Dammar and his mischievous crew and ultimately save earth; Noora and Amura team up with the animals of the forest to overpower Dammar’s wicked plans. The show is exciting and thrilling with many twists and turns to keep children interested along with teaching them the importance of friendship, looking after the planet and working together to succeed.The story not only teaches children about conserving the forest but also is a tale of righteousness, loyalty, and forgiveness. The cute costumes and impressive action is supported by amazing audio-visual effects that carry the audience to a wonderful world of imagination, for children, this is surely another show not to be missed and they can relate easily to the main characters – Noora and Amura.Two shows are staged in the evenings on Thursday to Sunday. Entrance to the theatre is free for all Modhesh World visitors.Modhesh World doors open at 10.00am – 10:00pm on weekdays and from 10:00am – 12midnight on weekends, 3:00pm – 12midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 for adults and AED 15 for kids with numerous free games and rides.

Graffiti At Its Best In Modhesh World

Vibrant colours fill up the blank sketches in the blink of an eye as spray paints cover the Fanta Wall. Young and old enjoy messing around with spraying paint onto the sketches and one can always find crowds having a fun time here. The paint used is hair colour and ensures 100 percent safety to the users.

Modhesh World doors open at 10.00am - 10:00pm on weekdays and from 10:00am - 12midnight on weekends, 3:00pm - 12midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 - adults and 15 for kids with numerous free games and rides.
 

RTA Brings Traffic Safety To Modhesh World

Salama Village is an initiative launched by Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to highlight programmes carried out by RTA’s Traffic Section to focus on the importance of complying with the rules of traffic safety and minimizing the risk of accidents.

The Village has traffic signals, zebra crossings, road markings, and directional signs just like an actual street in Dubai.

Fun games relating to road safety are conducted with the aim of imparting road safety knowledge to children. There are also competitions where children can win prizes, which encourages them to pay attention to the instructions given about road safety. Lucky draws take place everyday to give away goodies. A colouring zone where chidlren can paint keychains to represent road signs is also part of the zone.

Vehicle parking, driving fines, black point systems, and traffic safety brochures are also distributed to adult visitors to the village with the aim of improving road safety.

Modhesh World is open from 10.00am to 10:00pm on weekdays, and from 10:00am to 12midnight on weekends, and from 3:00pm to 12midnight on Fridays. Tickets to the venue are priced at AED 10 for adults and AED 15 for kids with numerous free zones, games, and rides.

UAE Nationals dominate The Dubai Mall raffle winners

The ‘Win Millions’ raffle at Festival @ The Dubai Mall has a clear domination by UAE Nationals, who have won 40 daily raffles for AED 10,000 each and one weekly draw for AED 100,000 with only two days remaining for the shopping and entertainment extravaganza to conclude.Three expatriates – an Iranian, South African and Pakistani each – also won AED 100,000 each at the weekly draws. The Iranian expatriate, Mr Kaveh Oyar Hosseini also got AED 50,000 as bonus prize money for being present in the mall during the draw. The grand draw for AED 1 million will be held on the closing day of the Festival on Friday (May 29, 2009). Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The winner profile of Festival @ The Dubai Mall highlights the cosmopolitan character of Dubai. Apart from the UAE nationals, the daily winners of over 100 customers at the mall include nationals from the Middle East, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, CIS countries and USA.” He added: “The multi-cultural profile of winners also highlights the appeal of The Dubai Mall to people of all nationalities, several of them tourists. The chief draw of the mall as a shopping destination is the diversity of choices it offers, with over 900 outlets including several flagship and Middle East debuts of the world’s leading brands.” To participate in the Win Millions raffles, customers only have to spend AED 500 at any of the retail and/or F&B outlets. They also get bargain deals from participating outlets. The month-long Festival @ The Dubai Mall, also featuring a Grand Bentley raffle and mall-wide entertainment, will conclude on May 29. It is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Final day prize bonanza at Festival@The Dubai Mall: AED 1 million and Bentley car up for grabs

One lucky shopper will win the grand prize of AED 1 million on Friday (May 29, 2009) as Festival @The Dubai Mall, the month long shopping and entertainment extravaganza at the world’s largest shopping and leisure destination, draws to a close.The Grand Bentley raffle draw for a luxurious, four-door Bentley Continental Flying Spur will also be held on May 29, adding to the excitement of the closing day celebration. Several entertainers will join in the mall-wide entertainment in a fitting grand finale of the family festival that has attracted thousands of visitors over four weeks. Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group, said: “The Festival@The Dubai Mall is one of the most unique mall-wide retail promotion events ever undertaken in Dubai. The total cash prize package of AED 3.1 million adds to the excitement of shopping with visitors having the extensive choice of 900 retail stores including 160 F&B outlets.” He added: “The closing day will be a bonanza with two grand draws – one for AED 1 million in the Win Millions raffle, and the other for the Bentley car. Two lucky winners will join over 100 lucky customers, who have already won cash prizes ranging from AED 10,000 to AED 150,000.” Visitors to The Dubai Mall can enter the ‘Win Millions’ raffle for the AED 1 million draw and a daily draw of AED 10,000 on Thursday, by spending a total of AED 500 in any of the retail and/or F&B outlet, while also availing of bargain deals from the participating outlets. They can collect the raffle coupons from the customer service desks. Raffle coupons for the Grand Bentley draw are sold out. Only 5,000 tickets, each priced AED 200, were on sale to win the coveted Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Ticket-holders also have access to the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo walk-through tunnel for closer encounters with the 33,000 aquatic animals. The Festival@The Dubai Mall also featured Bid 2 Win, an innovative auction for premium products; bargain deals on various global brands and mall-wide entertainment. It is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, a part of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Bid2Win At Festival@The Dubai Mall Receives Strong Customer Response

The Bid 2 Win auction, held as part of the Festival@The Dubai Mall is attracting hundreds of participants every week. The auction has enabled winners to take home premium products at rates of about 15 to 30 per cent lower than the showroom price.

This weekend’s live SMS Bid 2 Win auction is for a Nikon D90 DSLR KIT + a Canon Legria Hfs10 Camcorder on Friday and a Panasonic 50” Plasma TV (TH50PY850M) + Home Theatre System (SC-PT 865) on Saturday.

The mall’s visitors can participate in a fierce biding war with a Nikon D90 DSLR KIT + a Canon Legria Hfs10 Camcorder up for grabs on May 22, priced at AED 10,998 and courtesy of Sharaf DG. The auction on Saturday is for a Panasonic 50” Plasma TV (TH50PY850M) + a Home Theatre System (SC-PT 865), priced at AED 11,898, courtesy of Plug-ins.

The SMS bidding starts at 10am and will continue until 9pm. The start price of the bid is AED 1. The highest bidder at 9pm can claim the product on paying the bid price.

To participate in Bid 2 Win, visitors to the mall only have to SMS the product code of the item on display at the mall to Etisalat 4643. They must first register to participate in the auction at the same number. Participants are informed of the status of their bid in real-time, and live updates of the auction are displayed on the multimedia screens.

Previous products on auction during the Festival@The Dubai Mall included an Apple Combo, Bose Lifestyle Home Entertainment System, Panasonic 58" Full HD Plasma TV, Infinity Cascade & Home Theatre Package, Jumbo Mobility Unwired Package and Philips LCD TV & Home Theatre Package.

In addition to Bid 2 Win, the mall also offers a ‘Win Millions’ raffle, a Grand Bentley raffle with only 5,000 tickets priced at AED 200 each going into the draw and mall-wide entertainment.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, Emaar Hospitality Group’s five star hotel brand.

More Retail Therapy Is AED 1 Million Wish-List Of Shoppers

With only 10 days to go for the grand draw for AED 1 million, marking the grand finale of Festival@The Dubai Mall, visitors are flocking to the mall to enter the Win Millions raffle. By 29 May, a total of AED 3.1 million worth in prize money would have been won by shoppers during the month-long retail and entertainment extravaganza.

Since the festival began, over 90 lucky shoppers, from 24 different countries have won prizes ranging from AED 10,000 to AED 150,000. The Middle East, Europe, USA and Asia have all been represented, with UAE Nationals being the most frequent winners.

Shoppers are excited about the prospect of winning AED 1 million, and most of them have more retail spend on their wish-list if they happen to win the grand prize.

Palestinian National Ali Yasin, 26, would love to buy a sail boat. “I would also like to travel the world especially to South America for the culture, Africa for the nature and Antarctica for the nothingness that exists there. The idea of traveling or sailing into nothing is very appealing. And if I still have any remaining money I would buy all sorts of gifts for my family.”

Lebanese Bride-to-be, Amal Fayad, 24, said: “Oh, I would buy so many things with a million dirhams right now. First I would throw a bigger wedding in Lebanon, buy more clothes, and travel to more destinations for my honeymoon and of course I would save more money for our future life together.”

Saqib Iqbal, a stock broker from Los Angeles who was on vacation in Dubai said: “I would invest all the money is stocks because now is the time when you can buy cheap and then can sell at a higher price.”

On the festivities at The Dubai Mall he said, “It is awesome. The mall is huge and so much bigger than what we have in LA. I would come again to Dubai…definitely.”

Launched on April 30, 2009, Festival@The Dubai Mall is a month-long retail extravaganza with bargain deals, raffle draws and colourful entertainment regaling visitors. Customers spending an aggregate amount of AED 500 at the retail and F&B outlets over the festival period can collect raffle coupons to participate in the Win Millions draw.

In addition to five daily draws for AED 10,000, a weekly draw for AED 100,000 is held every Saturday with the winners standing to gain a bonus of AED 50,000 if they are present at the mall during the draw. The final draw will be held on May 29, at 10pm, where one lucky winner will win AED 1 million.

Festival@The Dubai Mall is supported by Dubai Media Inc, Arab Media Group and The Address Hotels + Resorts, Emaar Hospitality Group’s five star hotel brand.