World Class Panel Announced For Gulfood Awards 2011

Entrants to the Gulfood Awards 2011 are facing a panel of highly distinguished and highly discerning international judges as they vie for their category titles in February. More judges have been selected to review the hundreds of new entries and as the calibre of the world class contestants reaches new heights, the rewards and prestige for the winners are greater than ever.

Following the hugely successful inaugural 2010 Gulfood Awards, the 2011 event presents 19 categories to be reviewed by the judges, with more than 300 entries expected.

As the largest annual food and hospitality event in the world, Gulfood not only reflects the quality of regional and international cuisine, but is an important showcase of the best the industry has to offer, introducing the latest products, initiatives and services. The Gulfood Awards 2011 will play a crucial role in establishing new standards and developing new markets.

Mark Napier, Director, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Gulfood, says the competition is an essential part of the event. “The entries at the Gulfood 2010 Awards were outstanding and proved this region to be leading the innovation and quality agenda. There’s no doubt that the competition will be much harder with more entries and categories, but for the winners, the prize will be that much richer. The expert panellists assembled by the independent body we have entrusted the awards to will ensure fairness, excellence and the very highest standards of competition.

“One of the reasons the Awards have been so well received and so highly acclaimed is because they recognise the full spectrum of food, equipment and hospitality services. They take into account not only the traditional categories, but also consider services, concepts and initiatives from environmental issues to packaging and retail,” he added.

The panel for the Gulfood Awards 2011 includes:

• Uwe Micheel – President, Emirates Culinary Guild
• Sudakhar Gupta – Director, IFFCO
• Ghassan Kassabji – Managing Director, TBWA
• Bobby Krishna – Senior Food Studies and Surveys Officer, Food Control Department
• Gabriele Ingwersen – Publisher & Editorial Director, Asia & Middle East Food Trade
• Louise Oakley – Group Editor, Hospitality, Middle East Hotelier
• Chairman: Bill Bruce – Group Editorial Director, FoodBev Media Ltd

Richard Hall, Chairman of FoodBev Media, co-founder of the Gulfood Awards said they are a benchmark for the industry. “Gulfood is firmly established as one of the most important events in the F&B calendar, and the awards are even more of an incentive to bring the highest possible standards to the region. Working alongside the Gulfood team, we can see that there is no shortage of talent and enterprise in the region, and it is a testament to the show that the international presence is greater than ever.”

The Awards also present a significant marketing opportunity. Gulfood’s worldwide reach and reputation will ensure that the winners and nominees earn attention from global markets as well as regional media.

The 2011 awards categories include: • Best new non-alcoholic beverage • Best new functional food or drink • Best newcomer brand or business • Best new Halal food • Best new health food or beverage ingredient • Best new foodservice innovation • Best environmental sustainability initiative • Best new baked or confectionery product • Best new frozen or chilled food • Best new fast food product or innovation • Best new food or drink packaging innovation • Best new catering equipment innovation • Best health education initiative • Best consumer marketing campaign •

Entries are now open – applications must be received by 14 January 2011. Winners will be announced at the special Gulfood Awards ceremony and reception on 27 February 2011, alongside the exhibition to be held 27 February – 2 March 2011 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

For full entry details and criteria for each category visit www.gulfood.com/awards
 

Exclusive Business Networking Event for Food and Beverage Heads Announced to Be Held at the Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates!

DUBAI, UAE, September 29, 2010/PRNewswire/ — Following the successful launch of its new venture "Hozpitalityplus Events", Hozpitality Group announced its second Exclusive Business networking event for Food and Beverage Heads based in UAE in association with Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates on Monday, 18th Oct 2010.

We are thankful to Accor Group and Pullman Dubai Mall of the Emirates for sponsoring this event and supporting us, Mr. Raj Bhatt, Director, Hozpitality group, said. For this event we have invited F&B Directors and Managers, of all top hospitality companies in UAE and Hospitality Press/Media in UAE to come together and network. We are expecting over 100 distinguished F&B hospitality professionals in UAE to attend the event.

Hozpitalityplus Events will benefit the hospitality industry professionals and through this venture, we will provide a platform where the industry can come together to Network, Create Synergy and Share Best Practices, Mr. Raj Bhatt, said.

Hozpitality group is emerging as one of the fastest growing online companies in the Middle East and Asian market. We have over 60,000 registered hospitality professionals in our two websites, http://www.hozpitality.com – "Dedicated hospitality job board" and http://www.hozpitalityplus.com – "Dedicated hospitality networking group". Apart from the registered candidates we have almost 70,000-80,000 dedicated hospitality professionals visiting our site every month from 176 countries.

In the last year we have seen many ups and down and have gone through difficult times, Mr. Raj Bhatt, Director, Hozpitality.com, said. As soon as we launched, recession struck and overnight everything changed. We fought our way and have reached where we are today. We grew to 3 new ventures, "Hozpitalityplus.com", "Hozpitalityplus Events" and now "Hozpitality Consulting" based in Canada. In a couple of months we are also launching in Canada and India. The future looks very bright to us and we are working hard, Mr. Bhatt added.

DTCM (Dubai tourism and commerce marketing) has been supporting our company ever since we launched and we are thankful to them for the same Mr. Raj Bhatt, Director, Hozpitality.com, said.

We would also like to thank all our hospitality clients and partners who have supported us in current difficult times and we are sure we will make Hozpitality Group the most preferred brand for the hospitality Industry globally.

A lot more is on the cards and we are happy that we are growing, Mr. Bhatt added.
 

CIMA (UAE) National Winners Announced For The Global Business Challenge

CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) is delighted to announce that Bizz Wizards, University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) has won the (UAE) national round of the Institute’s Global Business Challenge (GBC). The GBC, which is sponsored globally by Barclays, is an international competition designed to bring out the best in potential business leaders among young people. The global final promises to be an exciting event, with eleven teams competing on an international stage for the title of ‘Global Winners’.

There were five shortlisted teams; Partum Nixus, Bizz Wizards, The Freshmen Group, Corporate Climbers and Trident represent Phoenix Financial Training, University of Wollongong in Dubai, American University of Sharjah, Abu Dhabi University and Heriot Watt University Dubai Campus respectively.

Over 100 students entered the first round. The teams were presented with a portfolio of realistic business information about a fictional mobile phone operator. Acting as financial consultants, the teams submitted a report setting out their recommendations for the future of the company.

Bizz Wizards will be flown to the global final which takes place on 5 and 6 August in Malaysia. Once there, they will face tough competition from the other winning national teams representing: the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, mainland China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, Philippines and Australia. Biz Wizards, UOWD will present a business case to an audience of CIMA delegates and a judging panel of prestigious experts who face the challenging task of picking the winning finalists.

Bilal Sohail, one of the leading winning team members, said of their achievement: “We are delighted to have won the UAE national final of the Global Business Challenge. We have enjoyed the challenge and we look forward to competing for the Finals of the Global Business Challenge with other global teams this coming August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Geetu Ahuja, CIMA UAE Country Manager, added: “CIMA is very proud of Bizz Wizards, of UOWD’s achievement in winning the national round of The CIMA Global Business Challenge. The standard of this year’s competition was higher than ever, and we would like to congratulate Bizz Wizards and University of Wollongong in Dubai on their success. We aim to demonstrate to students that business and specifically management accounting can be challenging, interesting and strategic. These exceptional students are on their way to becoming tomorrow’s high flyers. CIMA represents some of the leaders in business and currently has over 172,000 members and students in 165 countries. I would like to wish Bizz Wizards every success for the final round.”

Follow the teams’ progress on Facebook http://bit.ly/d3wW5N and CIMAsphere http://bit.ly/cvp2Lj for a personal insight into their GBC journey.

For further information, please visit the CIMA Global Business Challenge website at www.cimaglobal.com/globalbusinesschallenge
 

First Ten Winners In Line For The National Bonds Millionaire Draw Are Announced In du’s Recharge Win And Save Promotion

Simply by recharging their du line or buying an Elite Plan or Premier Plan in the past two weeks, ten lucky du customers have each won National Bonds certificates worth AED 10,000 as part of du’s fabulous Recharge, Win and Save promotion. All ten winners can now enter the weekly National Bonds draw to win a cool one million Dirhams. The National Bonds Millionaire draw will take place every week for a limited period, so the winning has just begun.

The du Recharge, Win and Save promotion attracted over 175,000 registrations in the first two weeks, between 22 June and 4 July. Every week from Sunday to Saturday, five lucky winners will each receive a National Bonds certificate for AED 10,000, which qualifies them for entry into the AED one million draw, while every day, 250 lucky winners will receive a National Bonds certificate for AED 100. In total, more than 1,800 prizes worth AED 1.38 million are up for grabs each week.

The ten AED 10,000 winners who have been chosen over the past two weeks are Mohammed Bilal Mian, Moheeb Obaid, Ahmed Abdou Ibrahim, Shoaib Alam Virk, Ahmed Nour Eldin Kasem, Rabindarn Kannkai, Ajit Thankchal, Kailasnath Gopakumara, Sureshan Thazhathuveettilothayoth and , Thampi Velyudhan. .

Among the winners, Gopakumara and Thazhathuveettilothayoth recently received their National Bonds certificates from Marwan Thani, Senior Director, Retail Sales, du. Now they just have to wait along with the rest of the winners to see if their luck will carry them through to the AED one million prize.

“I cannot describe how excited I am at the chance to take home AED one million,” said Gopakumara. “Winning the National Bonds certificate for AED 10,000 was wonderful enough – and all I had to do was recharge my du line. Now I might become a millionaire – it is beyond my wildest dreams!”

“I can hardly believe my luck,” added Thazhathuveettilothayoth. “du and National Bonds have made this a summer to remember.”

“By partnering with National Bonds for this amazing promotion, we are giving our valued customers the chance to win hundreds of great prizes, not to mention the life-changing chance to become a millionaire,” said Farid Faraidooni, EVP Commercial, du. “We are proud to showcase National Bonds, which offer an excellent way to save money in the UAE. This draw is the perfect way to jump-start the summer, and we are excited to be offering du customers an ideal opportunity to invest in their future.”

National Bonds, the National Saving Scheme of the UAE, offers returns as high as 7.07% annually, making them a lifelong investment and the best saving instrument in the country.

To be a part of the Recharge, Win and Save promotion, du customers need to first register by sending an SMS with the word ‘draw’ to 1116. Then, they can enter the draw simply by recharging their du line with ‘more credit’ or ‘more international’ recharge options, or by purchasing an Elite or a Premier Plan. A recharge amount of AED 20 qualifies for one entry into the draw, AED 50 for two entries, AED 100 for five entries and AED 200 for 10 entries – so the more customers recharge with du, the better their chances of winning big.

The Recharge, Win and Save promotion is exclusively open to du Pay as you Go®, Visitor Mobile Line and new Elite or Premier Plan customers, and applies to recharges made during the draw period. For more information on the draw, or details on the Elite or Premier Plans, customers can visit any one of the 32 du shops and kiosks located around the UAE, or visit www.du.ae.

DIY – Do It Yourself Workshops In Microsoft Excel, Web Design & Development and Image Enhancement & Optimization Announced By Eton Institute

Eton-it, a division of Eton Institute is offering four hour DIY (Do it Yourself) workshops in computers, which will enable anyone to create their own website, edit and enhance their images and manage their yearly budget, using simple tools available on a PC.

The following workshops will be conducted between 18 July and 01 August on a Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm:
1. Website Design & Development: Saturday 18 July, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
2. Excel it: Saturday 25 July, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
3. Image Enhancement & Optimization: Saturday 01 August, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Dr. Eli Abi Rached, Managing Director of Eton Institute commented: “It’s common for someone to wish they knew how to do something themselves rather than employ a professional to carry out simple and fairly easy to do tasks. The DIY workshops offered at Eton Institute will simplify the tools readily available on the desktops and enable participants to create websites, manage their budgets and do wonders with their digital images.”
The workshops could be very useful to someone who is self employed, running a small business from home or families looking to budget their spending or simply don’t know what to do with the thousands of images that they have accumulated from years of cherished moments.

Each four hour workshop is inexpensively priced at AED 490/- and will be conducted on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Eton Institute in Dubai Knowledge Village, Block 3. You can book a place by calling +971 4 3652772 or by email to info@eton.ac. Limited places are available which will be offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. For further details visit www.eton.ac or call 800 – ETON (800 – 3866).