BurJuman To Host Middle East Junior Chef Of The Year 2010 As Chefs Prepare To Battle It Out For Top Culinary Honours

The Middle East Junior Chef of the Year, organized by the Emirates Culinary Guild and a signature event of Dubai Summer Surprises, will begin at BurJuman on June 23 as chefs from across the region gather to compete for the coveted culinary honours. BurJuman is a key sponsor of DSS 2010.

The Awards are among the highest recognitions accorded to chefs in the Middle East that will see more than 600 chefs of the rank Chef de Partie or below contest in about 22 challenging categories this year. The competition is assessed via a point system that will result in Bronze, Silver and Gold medals being awarded to winners.

“Food is an element that appeals across diverse visitor segments and DSS audiences will find there is more to food during the Middle East Junior Chef of the Year. This is an opportunity to watch brilliant chefs up close as they create exquisite dishes and as a signature event of DSS, families and culinary enthusiasts can expect an entertaining week ahead,” said DEPE in a statement.

The Emirates Culinary Guild, an association for chefs in the UAE, will be the facilitator of the competition. Categories in this year’s awards include pastry showpiece, chocolate carving, fruit and vegetable carving, five-course gourmet dinner menu, new Arabian cuisine, and ice carving, in addition to many others. The awards are judged every year by a jury panel consisting of renowned international chefs.
 

BurJuman Lines Up Exciting Events As A Key DSS Sponsor For 13th Year Running

BurJuman, the residence of high fashion, returns as a key sponsor of the 13th Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) with an enhanced entertainment and retail line-up during the region’s biggest summer event from June 17 to August 7, 2010.

Apart from irresistible discounts and offers from the luxury mall’s high-end fashion outlets, UAE residents as well as tourists from all over the world will be entertained at BurJuman throughout DSS with a selection of signature events, such as the highly popular Junior Chef of the Year contest running from June 23-June 29. With hundreds of chefs showcasing their amazing culinary skills and offering a variety of delectable food demonstrations and sampling opportunities, the week-long foodilicious delight is sure to whet the appetite of shoppers for more.

BurJuman will also host the Unique Collections Exhibition, which presents a spectrum of must-have collections from across the region, and the world. Numerous musical highlights and performance shows will maintain the buzz throughout the summer festival, including Tap and Hip Hop Dancers shows, Rola Bola Acrobatic Show, Kids Wonder Talent Show, Circusfera Show, Blue Hula Hoop Show and more.

The participation in the yearly summer extravaganza has proven to be a great success for BurJuman, as boosted customer numbers during the DSS period give retailers increased opportunities to achieve stronger business results.

“This year we are looking forward to welcoming even more residents and tourists as the opening of the Khalid Bin Al Waleed Dubai Metro station by the mall in September 2009 should serve as a great driver of shopper traffic from all across the city. With the metro road works around the mall complete, the traffic around Bur Dubai has simultaneously eased and access to BurJuman is smooth and convenient,” says Eisa Adam Ibrahim, General Manager of BurJuman.

Ibrahim adds that BurJuman is proud to have one of the longest-running partnerships with DSS, having served as a key sponsor since the summer festival’s launch in 1997. “Our partnership with DSS has a long heritage. BurJuman was one of the first malls to participate in this exciting event, offering our customers not only a great number of discounts and offers, but also providing them with an entertainment schedule that makes a visit to BurJuman during DSS an unmissable shopping experience.”

DSS will keep residents as well as tourists dazzled once again this summer with sensational events spread across Dubai. For customers seeking the best of shopping and entertainment, BurJuman will continue to be one of the most popular DSS destinations.
 

Rain of Surprises as Dubai Shopping Malls Group Announces Weekly Winners at BurJuman

Flowers rained on excited shoppers gathered at BurJuman on Thursday, July 16, as the mall hosted the Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s weekly raffle draw to select ten lucky winners, each of who received AED 50,000 in cash and gifts.

An entertaining theatrical act set the stage for the raffle draw. The draw was followed by a rain of flowers as rose petals were showered on shoppers who soon turned the venue into a playground by throwing petals at each other for fun.

Lucky shoppers who won at the raffle, couldn’t hide their excitement.

Egyptian Michel Sabry, one of the lucky winners, was overjoyed when informed of the winning: “I am getting married soon and this win has happened at the right time. I obtained the coupon when shopping for my wedding. Now that I am a winner, I am going to shop more.”

To receive the raffle coupons and enter any of the weekly draws as part of Surprising Millions, shoppers only need to spend a minimum amount of AED 200 at participating malls in Dubai. They can also double their chances of winning by using their MasterCard credit cards for which they receive an additional raffle coupon.

Rod Coffin, one of the recent winners, said: “This is the best surprise ever! I had decided to buy my wife a ring, for no particular reason. I can’t believe I am a winner now, my wife is going to be surprised!”

Surprising Millions campaign has participation from twenty three malls in Dubai including Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair City, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Arabian Center, Bur Juman, Century Mall, Dubai Festival City, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Marina Walk, Dubai Outlet Mall, Gold & Diamond Park, Ibn Batutta Mall, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Center, Mercato Mall, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall, Souk Al Bahar, The Dubai Mall, Town Centre, Time Square Centre and WAFI Mall.

Emirates NBD hosts an elite networking event at Burjuman Business Towers

Priority Banking at Emirates NBD, the largest bank in terms of assets in the region, organized a networking event at the Regus Business Centre for highly placed professionals working in their business centre in Burjuman Business Towers.The event’s main focus was to increase awareness about the Emirates Bank branch and the Priority Centre located on the ground floor of the Burjuman Business Tower. The Priority Banking team from the Burjuman branch interacted with the guests on a one to one, personalized level, elaborating on the key products and privileges of Priority Banking and the various benefits and conveniences that are attainable through banking with Emirates NBD. The newly launched Emirates Bank Skywards Platinum and Infinite credit cards created quite a buzz over this event.Mike Solimani Head Priority Banking commented on the event: “This initiative wouldn’t have been possible without the ground support of Regus’ team who facilitated the connection to the professionals working in their Business centre. Many of the attendees were new to the country and this function allowed us to gather first hand information about their specific banking needs and learn about their expectations. We are very pleased with the outcome of this partnership and look forward to the success of similar projects in the near future at the various Regus Centres in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.”The Priority Banking Centre within this branch was created with the objective of catering to the needs of busy professionals and businesses in the Business Towers. Mr. Patrick Gray, Area Director at Regus said, “We were very pleased to work in collaboration with Emirates NBD and we are delighted that everyone was so satisfied with the event. Attendees found it to be very helpful and informative. We anticipate many successful joint ventures with ENBD in the near future.”Emirates NBD is committed to providing customers with detailed and personalized service. The bank engages in several initiatives that help them reach out to their valued clients and to provide people with informative details about the vast array of banking products and services that are readily within their reach when they bank with Emirates NBD.
 

Flower Rain back in 2009 Dubai Summer Surprises at BurJuman

Mall visitors to BurJuman have an exciting opportunity to watch a colourful Flower Rain organized by Dubai Summer Surprises. Beginning July 2, the event will be held every Thursday and Friday at 7pm till August 14th.Flowers weighing 200 kilograms will be used in each shower with a total of 2800 kilograms of flowers being used over the summer. Flowers include Rose petals, Jasmine, Marigold, Tube Rose petals, and Pink Shoe flowers. The Flower Rain has been a major attraction in the DSS itinerary in previous years.Tshering Idnani, Senior Events Coordinator at DSF Office said, “The Flower Rain adds a refreshing element to DSS and we’ve had an overwhelming response every time a Flower Rain has been organized. This year’s Flower Rain will provide a colourful spectacle for DSS visitors.”“BurJuman has been transformed into a veritable floral paradise this DSS with thousands of colourful flowers used to create a fabulous ‘summer garden’ atmosphere all across the mall. A walk through the elegant interiors, which have been decorated with different flower styles, gives a wonderfully refreshing feel and adds to the overall shopping experience. BurJuman, as the décor destination for DSS, was therefore the natural choice for ‘The Flower Rain’, one of the most-loved events on the DSS calendar. We invite people to enjoy this unique experience with their family and friends – it’s a visual treat they will always remember,” said Sabina Khandwani, Head of PR and Marketing, BurJuman.
 

Dubai Voices To Mesmerize Crowds At Burjuman This Weekend

Dubai Voices, a group of young multi-national resident singers that wowed crowds in Deira City Centre in their first show last week, is back again this weekend at BurJuman. The group will perform at the Observatory opposite Virgin Megastore from July 2nd to July 4th. The show is a unique entertainment event during this year’s Dubai Summer Surprises.

Lead by Bryan Furtado, a singer, actor, dancer, music teacher, and the musical director of the group, Dubai Voices performs three different acts featuring interpretations of Broadway musicals, classic pop, jazz, world music, and other popular songs. The three acts will be performed at 6:40, 7:45, and 9:30 respectively.

As a multicultural choir, Dubai Voices performs songs in English, Arabic, Tagalog, and Persian. Act 1 includes musicals such as the self titled musical That’s Entertainment, Circle of Life from Lion King, and Dancing Queen from Mamma Mia. Act 2 features pop songs such as Sing by the Carpenters, Shak Bhak Shakabit by Nancy Ajram, and Does your mother know by ABBA. Act 3 features songs such as Cruisin by Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis, Beat Box – an original composition, popular Spanish number Desperado, Halla Vay Vay – a Persian and Arabic song, and Song of the Emirates – originally composed by an Australian resident in Dubai in the 1970s and reworked for the show by Bryan Furtado.

Sheila And Abaya Fashion Continues To Wow Audiences At Burjuman

Sheila and Abaya Fashion, one among the Signature Events of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2009 continued its glamorous showcase of traditional fashion at BurJuman on June 29. The third segment to this wondrous display of style and flair was composed of four shows featuring the collections of Haifa Al Nooriji, Dar Al khayal, Queen Crown Collection (Shaymaa Ahmed Al-Aufy), and Diala Kabara (Diala Kabara).

Haifa Al Nooriji of Haifa Gallery produced a creative fusion of traditional fashion and modern innovative designs, catering to the needs of modern women without losing the essence of culture. The range gave a taste of distinctive harmony between the old and new.

Dar Al Khayal’s pieces showed a splendid mix of simplicity with lavish luxury resulting in a combination both chic and elegant. Oman’s pride Shaymaa Al-Aufy of Queen Crown exhibited a range of classic sheila and abaya with inspirations taken from the Victorian gowns, Japanese kimonos, and Omani dishdasha. And, the talented designer Diala Kabara from Saudi Arabia flashed sheilas and abayas with trendy touches highlighting them with vibrant hues.

The glittering event comes to an end on June 30, with the works of DAS Collections (Reem Ali Beljafla), Velvet Abaya (Kuwait), Scarf (Mariam Murthada Wadiey), and Smooth Lady (Mona Khanbouli).

DSS Discounts And Entertainment Keep Shoppers Busy At BurJuman

During the first weekend of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) 2009, shoppers at BurJuman expressed their delight at the various programmes and discounted promotions in the shopping mall.Dubai residents Alex Milkovski, Marina Bubalo and Galonjic Dejan were thrilled to show off their shopping bags. These Serbian nationals felt that DSS had lots of offerings this year. Alex said, “We are so excited to go to the mall and check out the DSS programmes. We were surprised to know that we can also participate at raffle draws by just shopping.” Marina added, “We are waiting for more promotions in the coming weeks.”Mukesh Chheda, from India, was also motivated to roam around the shopping mall. He said, “It’s my first DSS and I heard a lot of good things on how great the promotions are. Now that I am here at BurJuman, I can say that whatever I heard was so true. DSS really makes shopping very affordable. That’s what we need during these times.”On the other hand, wife and mother Gopika Gurdasani was roaming around the mall with her kids. Although she wasn’t in for shopping, she was more than happy about DSS. Gopika told, “I’m thankful that DSS has wonderful events for children. We are staying in Dubai this summer, and we need these types of activities for our kids. The DSS activities are enjoyable and educational, and really great for the children.”Visiting tourists from Kuwait, Arwa and Umme Khan, believed that DSS made their trip to Dubai more memorable. Arwa said, “The discounts are wonderful. I could buy a lot of stuff to take back home.” Umme added , “We love the promotions. It’s just amazing.”BurJuman, a key sponsor of DSS this year, hosts numerous luxury brand outlets that are offering massive discounts during the summer extravaganza.

Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s Weekly DSS Raffle Draws Worth AED 500,000 Starts Tomorrow

The first ten lucky winners of Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s (DSMG) weekly ‘Surprising Millions’ campaign for Dubai Summer Surprises, will be revealed on June 18th at a special event at the Dubai Marina Mall. The draw to select ten winners, each of who will receive AED 50,000 in cash and gift vouchers, is scheduled for 7.00 pm at the shopping mall’s atrium.

All raffle coupons obtained from participating malls when shopping for a minimum purchase of AED 200 is eligible for the draw. The weekly draws are held under the auspices of the Department of Economic Development.

Speaking about the first weekly draw being held at the Dubai Marina Mall, Mr. Ian Ferguson, General Manager from the mall said: “We are honoured to be hosting the first weekly raffle of DSMG’s summer long promotion as it helps us to position Dubai Marina Mall as a great new shopping destination. This popular promotion run by DSMG helps to reward our visitors throughout the summer months.”

The ‘Surprising Millions’ campaign offers total prizes worth AED 5 million in weekly draws, instant winnings and competitions. Since the start of the campaign, DSMG has reported brisk sales in all the participating twenty three malls which include Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair City, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza , Arabian Center , BurJuman ,Century Mall ,Dubai Festival City, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Marina Walk, Dubai Outlet Mall, Gold & Diamond Park, Ibn Batutta Mall, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Center, Mercato Mall, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall, Souk Al Bahar and Downtown Burj, The Dubai Mall, Town Centre, Time Square Centre and WAFI Mall.

Around 4,000 retailers are participating in DSS 2009 with offers up to 75-90 percent discount on leading brands.

For further info, please contact: Lisa George, ASDA’A Burson Marsteller, Dubai. Tel: 0097143344550, E-mail: l.george@asdaa.com

Dubai Shopping Malls Group’s ’Surprising Millions’ Giveaways Surprise Mall Shoppers

Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) is giving away prizes worth AED 5 million during DSS this year and shoppers across malls are already experiencing the amazing giveaways by the Group as part of the raffle.

DSMG has put out instant prizes lined up to surprise customers who have obtained raffle coupons. Everyday, shoppers from any one of the participating malls receive a refund equal to the value of their purchases. The total value of instant prizes lined up is AED 500,000 and will be distributed during the duration of the campaign.

On June 15, five lucky shoppers were chosen for the refund giveaway. Mamdouh Hamdi from Palestine, Sultan Al Refaisa from UAE, Zaki Ibrahim from Palestine, Surinder Singh from India, and Marwan Al Shehabi from Bahrain won cash refunds equal to their purchases at Dubai Festival City. Cash refunds worth approximately AED 10,000 are being given out everyday.

DSMG’s mainstream raffle promotions include weekly raffle prizes and instant winnings. The weekly prizes offer winning opportunity to a maximum of 10 winners with each shopper standing to win prizes worth Dhs50,000/- in cash and gift vouchers every week. There will be 90 lucky winners in total during the nine weeks of DSS promotion. The weekly draws will be held every Thursday in different participating malls.

Retail offers during DSS are currently ongoing in the various participating malls of DSMG that include Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair City, Al Manal Centre, Al Mulla Plaza, Arabian Center, BurJuman, Century Mall, Dubai Festival City, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Marina Walk, Dubai Outlet Mall, Gold & Diamond Park, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Center, Mercato Mall, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall, Souk Al Bahar and Downtown Burj, The Dubai Mall,Town Centre, Time Square Centre and WAFI mall.