US Army Officer Wins Lucky Draw To Play With Tiger Woods In Dubai

An American army officer serving in Afghanistan has won the lucky draw to play with Tiger Woods during the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro Am at the Emirates Golf Club on Wednesday, February 9.

Over 16,000 amateurs golfers from all over the world registered online for the Tiger Woods Pro Am Competition that offered "the chance of a lifetime" to play alongside arguably the greatest golfer of modern era in the traditional curtain-raiser to the European Tour event.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rowells, the winner of the competition, was picked by Mohamed Yahya of DUBAL, a long-time sponsor of the tournament, in the presence of Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Vice Chairman and CEO golf in DUBAi, the promoters and organizers of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

It’s just a great coincidence that the winner of the online competition happens to be an army officer like Woods’ late father Earl, who himself had retired as a lieutenant colonel from the United States Army. In fact, the pet name ’Tiger’ was borrowed from a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father.

Lt. Col. Rowells, who plays off a decent nine handicap, will join Woods along with two other amateurs in a marquee four-ball during the Pro Am, and he is looking forward to the experience of a lifetime.

"I am thrilled and can’t believe my luck," said an ecstatic Rowells, who will also receive two season ’golf in DUBAi’ hospitality tickets.

"I registered with little hope of actually being selected. What a shock I received when I was contacted by my wife with the news that I have won. I immediately had visions of the first tee with Tiger.

"Miracles do happen, and I am overwhelmed with the prospect of playing not only with Tiger, but also the Majlis course as well. Truly a dream come true," said the army officer, currently deployed to Afghanistan with the 401st Army Field Support Brigade.

"I would like to thank ’golf in DUBAi’ for coming up with this unique Tiger Woods Pro Am competition and wish them all the best for the tournament. I hope I will be able to reduce my handicap after watching Tiger play up close and personal."

’golf in DUBAi’ was delighted with the overwhelming response to the competition. "The very intention behind organizing this competition was to get fans, who themselves are golfers, involved with the tournament," said Mohamed Juma Buamaim.

"It’s quite encouraging to see how they have responded to the competition. I would like to thank all them for their participation. It is the family feel to the tournament that keeps motivating us to try and experiment with new ideas. I hope Lt Col Rowells will return home with pleasant memories from the tournament," he added.

’golf in DUBAi’ is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor. The co-sponsors are: CNN, Emirates Airline, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah, Mercedes-Benz and wasl while Dubai Duty Free, Carpetland and Motivate are the Patrons in golf in DUBAi’s drive to showcase the emirate’s vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.

 

 

Eton Institute Announces The Second Lucky Winner Of A Luxurious Trip To Vienna

Eton Institute, UAE’s leading language training and professional development centre, announced the second lucky winner of the cultural getaway to Vienna. The exciting promotion was announced in celebration of the institute’s new branch opening in the Austrian city and will send 2 people along with their partners on an all-expenses paid luxurious European holiday to the fairy-tale city.

‘Eva Kayali’ learning English at Eton Institute, was announced as the second lucky winner after her name was randomly picked from a pool of over thousand hopeful entrants. When asked how she felt about hearing the incredible news, Eva said: “It was amazing, it is the first thing I have won in my life! The first thing that went through my mind was; is it a joke? Is someone from my class playing a prank on me?”

‘Emma Dickie’, who is learning Spanish at the Institute, was picked as the first winner back in February. Sharing her experience for winning an all expenses trip to Vienna, she was quoted: “It’s the most exciting news ever! We’re talking about playing the ‘Sound of Music’ in the office tomorrow”.

The 2 lucky winners along with their partners will embark on the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ cultural getaway to the historical city of Vienna in the midst of ‘Vienna Festival’ – the world’s largest cultural event that takes place every year for five to six weeks in May/June and brings together people from all over the world. They will take in the enchanting sights of the city, including a tour of the awe-inspiring Vienna Palace, in addition to attending several contemporary and classical plays and concerts.

They will also visit Eton Institute’s Vienna branch, Located in the ‘Graben’ a chic street in the heart of the city, where the institute will introduce its renowned, revolutionary language learning programmes to its European residents.

For accessing the latest offers from Eton Institute and for any further enquiries, please visit www.eton.ac or call 800-Eton (8003866) to speak with an adviser. To receive the latest updates about similar offers and events, join Eton Institute on its Facebook or Twitter community pages.
 

Thirteen  Lucky for flydubai

DUBAI, UAE, December 13, 2010/PRNewswire/ — flydubai, Dubai’s first low cost airline, proved that 13 was a lucky number for the airline, as it expanded its fleet to a total of 13 aircraft by taking delivery of a quartet of new Boeing 737-800 NG’s in a number of weeks.

flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: "We are thrilled to welcome these four new aircraft into our fleet. These new additions show flydubai’s continued growth, with 13 planes now servicing 28 routes in just 18 months. These numbers show phenomenal growth and we show no sign of slowing down, with ambitious growth plans that see us expanding still over the coming months.

"Our four new aircraft are at the cutting edge of air travel and we are certain our customers will enjoy the added comforts that these new planes have to offer."

The four new aircraft additions come complete with flydubai’s revolutionary ’Fiber To The Screen’ (FTTS(TM)) In Flight Entertainment (IFE) system from Lumexis. This fibre optic based system is lighter and thinner than previous models, enabling it to fit comfortably into the airline’s special Recaro seats. This reduction in weight allows flydubai to offer their customers the best in-flight entertainment on the market, while significantly reducing the associated costs, meaning flydubai can keep its ticket prices low.

In line with flydubai’s culture of only charging travellers for the services they use, the new IFE will be available as an optional extra in the way that baggage and meals are. Passengers travelling on these new flydubai aircraft, will have the ability to choose what they want to watch depending on their preference and how much they want to spend.

In addition to state-of-the-art entertainment system, the new planes are also among the first to be fitted with the new Boeing Sky Interior. The spacious new interior aims to improve passenger comfort onboard the new flydubai planes, and has subtle mood lighting to simulate night time, day time and sunrise/sunset, as well as redesigned overhead bins to give more cabin space and increased storage.

About flydubai:

flydubai, Dubai’s first low cost airline, was established by the Government of Dubai in March 2008 and began commercial flights on June 1st, 2009. flydubai aims to make travel a little less complex, a little less stressful and a little less expensive, and thereby increase the number of people travelling to and from the UAE.

flydubai currently has a fleet of thirteen brand new Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft and operates to 28 destinations: Beirut-Lebanon, Amman-Jordan, Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia-Syria, Alexandria, Luxor and Assiut-Egypt, Djibouti, Doha-Qatar, Baku-Azerbaijan, Khartoum-Sudan, Bahrain, Kathmandu-Nepal, Muscat-Oman, Kabul Afghanistan, Kuwait, Lucknow-India, Istanbul-Turkey, Karachi-Pakistan, Colombo-Sri Lanka, Erbil-Iraq, Yekaterinburg and Samara-Russia, Sulaimaniyah-Iraq, Yerevan-Armenia, Abha-KSA and Ashgabat-Turkmenistan. Flights to Yanbu-KSA begin in January 2011.

Bookings can be made on http://www.flydubai.com, through the call centre (+9714-3010800) and with travel partners.

Lucky Amateur Golfers Play With The Pros At Todays Pro-Am Tournament

 As part of Emirates’ sponsorship of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, seven lucky amateur golfers today got to play in the Pro-Am tournament with some of the world’s best golfers. The amateurs won competitions with five publications in Dubai, with the main prize an opportunity to tee off with golf stars such as American sensation Michelle Wie, German champion Anja Monke and English veteran Laura Davies.

It was a day to remember for the ladies who won competitions to play on the Emirates Airline teams with Australian pro Nicky Garrett, German pro Anja Monke, and British pro Elizabeth Bennett. Also playing today on the Emirates team was American golfer, Amelia Sidney McKee, age 11. She teamed up with German pro golfer Anja Monke at today’s Pro Am event for the Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters, running from 6th to 12th December at the Emirates Golf Club. They were joined by Julion Ruwette, who won a competition with Shape magazine to participate in the Pro-Am.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been able to play with such a professional as Anja Monke. Today has been a fantastic experience and I’ve learned a lot to help me improve my game,” said Amelia McKee. Amelia’s dream is to be an LPGA Tour Professional, but only after playing in the inaugural 2016 Olympics.

The ladies on the Emirates teams were given a gift bag on arrival, and joined the other pros for lunch. They also received an invite for two to the Emirates Tee Party tomorrow, December 8, where they will join fellow guests for a fabulous day out, which will include a champagne reception; golf clinic and lunch with star players; Timeless Spa treatments; and the chance to win Emirates hospitality tickets to four sporting events next year.

Emirates Gives Lucky Golf Fans Ryder Cup Trophy Experience

Emirates – the Official Airline of the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World – gave lucky golf fans the chance to get their hands on one of sport’s most iconic trophies, the Ryder Cup. As a sponsor of the 2010 Ryder Cup, Emirates was able to provide its guests at the Race to Dubai finale the opportunity to get a close up view of the silverware famously clinched by Europe in October. For four lucky competition winners, the experience was particularly memorable with the 18th green of the Earth course as a backdrop, they were joined by Emirates cabin crew members to pose for a souvenir picture with the trophy.

“To have an image of myself with a trophy which has been held by almost every legend of the game is something I will treasure,” said Phil Ferrier, a Scot living in Dubai, who won a return flight to bring a friend or family member to the event from any point on Emirates’ network of 108 destinations. “Getting a picture of my dad and I with the Ryder Cup will be a real highlight of what promises to be an incredible weekend,” added Phil, who – through a business card drop at companies within the Emirates Group, such MMI and Costa – also won a hospitality pass for all four days of the event and accommodation at Atlantis, The Palm.

Phil Milchard and his wife Margaret – from Eardisland, Herefordshire – whose daughter won the prize through a competition on Sky Sports – were also delighted with their memento of the weekend.

“It’s incredible to think I saw the European victory just a few weeks ago and next thing I am on an Emirates flight to Dubai and am now getting pictured with the trophy while all 12 of the Ryder Cup heroes are on the course,” said Phil, who – along with Phil Ferrier – also won a place on the tournament’s Ultimate Golf Experience, which will give them the chance to be a pro for a day on the Earth course, with final day tee and pin locations, sponsor boards and grandstands, as well as use of the Players’ locker room and private lounge.

The Dubai World Championship presented by DP World has quickly become one of the most eagerly anticipated golfing events of the year and Emirates has been flying both players and fans into Dubai from a number of the 25 destinations its European network, as well many of the 83 other locations it flies to.

The airline extends its support to golf by allowing passengers to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge – in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance – in any class of service on all of its flights.

 

Dubai Bank Kunooz Account Proves 7 Times Lucky For Emarati Customer

For Rashid Khalifa, an Emarati government employee in his forties, August has proved to be an extremely special month – when he was declared the winner of Dubai Bank’s million dirham draw as a valued Kunooz account holder.

Having won 10,000 dirhams each in six previous draws, Rashid was hoping that he would be lucky one more time, this hope proved well founded when he received a call from Dubai Bank that he had won the million dirham prize.

On this occasion, Rashid, a father of four children who has been a Kunooz Account holder for the last ten months, said, “This is a wonderful moment for me and I am going to use this windfall to invest in my children’s future. I have reinvested the entire million dirhams back into Kunooz as it is a flexible and Shari’a compliant savings account with the promise of winning substantial prizes through daily and monthly draws.”

Tariq Al Farsi, Head of Branches at Dubai Bank, who presented the winning cheque to Mr. Khalifa, said, “Month after month, winners like Mr. Rashid have been the recipients of a million dirhams, transforming their lives forever. The appeal of Kunooz, with its savings potential and the opportunity to generate optimal returns, has grown exponentially among customers across the UAE. The added benefit of channeling their savings in a prudent and Shari’a-compliant manner has also proved to be a big draw for customers.”

Under the Kunooz monthly cash prize promotion, each multiple of AED 1,000 deposited in the Kunooz Account qualifies the customer for multiple entries into the draw for daily cash prizes of AED 30,000. For every multiple of AED 5,000 deposited, account holders become eligible for entry into the monthly grand prize draw of AED 1 million. The programme also offers participants the possibility to win more than once.
 

Four Lucky Participants Of ’du World Cup Fever Challenge 2010’ Will Meet David Beckham

Truly turning dreams into reality, du added a dash of excitement to life by giving four lucky winners of the ‘du World Cup Fever Challenge 2010’ the once-in-a-lifetime all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to meet football legend David Beckham.

During a ceremony held at du’s offices, Ahmad Aburahima, VP, Government Relations, du, handed over the award voucher to the lucky four.

“We are delighted to give away these fantastic prizes to the four deserving winners of our World Cup Fever Challenge. We are a company that not only strives to provide the very best in entertainment, but also add a sprinkling of fun and enjoyment to the lives of people in the UAE. With the World Cup Fever Challenge, we provided an exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not just to our customers, but to anyone who wished to participate,” said Hala Badri, EVP Brand and Communications, du.

David Cook won du’s radio competition and qualified for the World Cup Fever Challenge at Mall of the Emirates. He then selected three of his friends, Ben Goodman, James Cloete & Robert Russell to compete with him at du’s World Cup stand at the mall for the opportunity to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won this opportunity and can hardly believe we will all be heading off to LA to meet David Beckham, all courtesy du! We are very grateful for this opportunity – this is certainly the sort of thing that happens to a select few!”, said David Cook

The World Cup Fever Challenge, which took place at the du stand during the World Cup, was a hugely exciting interactive game – driven through the radio – based on a competition of penalty shoot-outs and a series of knock-out remote-control football matches.

The winning prize includes four return tickets to Los Angeles that includes a six-night stay, and a lifetime opportunity to meet football legend David Beckham, VIP private lounge access to meet more players, VIP Field Side Seats to an LA Galaxy game , an LA Galaxy gift pack and memorabilia and an allowance to spend during the trip.

In order to ensure the UAE’s football fans really got the most out of the football season, du provided an interactive zone at Mall of the Emirates that offered football enthusiasts the chance to participate in a range of fun and competitive games, including the unique World Cup Challenge radio competition.

du is committed to bringing fun and excitement to the people of the UAE throughout the year, and is continuing to provide great entertainment and surprises at du’s stand in the Galleria area of Mall of the Emirates during Dubai Summer Surprises season.
 

Rotana And Al Rais Travel Hands Awards Four Pairs Of Free Flights To Fantastic Four’s FIFA Promotion Lucky Winners!

Rotana, the leading hospitality management group in the Middle East, in collaboration with Al Rais Travel recently announced the four lucky winners of the exciting Fantastic Four FIFA promotion. The fortunate winners won four different trips to four destinations – South Africa, Malaysia, Switzerland and Italy, after their names were drawn out of thousands of other football fanatics who watched and dined the FIFA action at Double Decker – Al Murooj Rotana, Boston – Jumeira Rotana, Long’s – Towers Rotana, and Nelson’s – Media Rotana.

Michael Mac Lennan , Graham Wolverson, Zeid Kemmoona and Tony Rowlston got the surprise of their life when they received the unexpected call from different Rotana Hotels in Dubai informing them about the prize they have won. The four lucky guests went to watch their favourite FIFA teams play at Double Decker, Boston, Long’s and Nelson’s which paved the way for them to be tourists to exciting destinations. The all happily commented, “This is indeed a lovely surprise! We are regular guests at Rotana, all we wanted was to watch our teams play, and we never expected to win. This is really an amazing treat for the summer. There’s just no words to thank Rotana and Al Rais Travel for turning our summer holidays into exceptional ones!”

The FIFA Fantastic Four promotion was conceptualized to thank the thousands of patrons who have watched the FIFA games at Rotana’s four famous venues. Done in partnership with Al Rais Travel, one of the largest independent travel agencies in the UAE, the promotion was a huge success considering the great prizes given away.

Mr. Mohammed Jassim Al Rais, Deputy Managing Director of Al Rais Travel remarked “It is with pleasure that we have partnered with Rotana for this special promotion. In line with our aim to provide only the best travel packages to our clientele, we have specially arranged these complimentary trips to four fantastic destinations through our strong global networking to provide each of our winners one of their best holidays ever.”

Hussein Hachem, Cluster General Manager for both Al Bustan Rotana and Al Murooj Rotana which is the home of one of the four participating venues, Double Decker, also stated, “I sincerely congratulate all the winners and I am definite they will have a wonderful time with their respective prizes. The FIFA Fantastic Four promotion is yet again another way for us to show how much we appreciate our guests at Rotana, and to provide them with exciting prizes such as trips to various destinations is geared towards our goal of providing all the patrons of Rotana memorable experiences, lifetime memories and treasured time.
 

5th Lucky Winner In Dubai Duty Free Summer Surprise Promotion

Dubai Duty Free, one of the key sponsors of Dubai Summer Surprises, offer travelers a chance to win Dhs175,000 in shopping vouchers. Shoppers spending 500 or more at Dubai Duty Free shopping complex are entitled for a raffle coupon, while those who pay using their MasterCard double their chances of winning, during the 7-week period.
Following the fifth successful week of Dubai Summer Surprises, the fifth lucky winner was announced today at the draw held at Sheikh Rashid Terminal of Dubai International. This week’s winner is Mr. Mohammad Abdulla Ahmed who won a Dhs25,000 worth of Dubai Duty Free shopping vouchers.

Mr. Ahmed turned lucky through the raffle coupons he received for the purchase of gold and various gift items for his family. Holder of coupon number 098812, Mr. Ahmed is an Egyptian businessman based in Saudi Arabia.

Dubai Duty Free, which recorded total sales of US$1.14 billion in 2009, has retained its position as the single largest airport retailer operation in the world for the second year running. In addition, Dubai Duty Free has won the "Brand of the Year" at the 6th Annual Superbrands tribute event dubbed globally as the "Oscars of Branding".

The draw was conducted by Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free together with Ramesh Cidambi, Director ­ IT & Logistics, Sinead El Sibai, Manager ­ Events, Advertising & Media Relations and Sean Staunton, Manager – Operation, Dubai Duty Free.
 

4th Lucky Winner of Dubai Duty Free Summer Surprise Promotion

Mr. John Lawrence Lewis, the fourth lucky winner of Dubai Summer Surprise Promotion, has very good reason to celebrate this month, as he walked away with Dhs.25,000 worth of Dubai Duty Free shopping vouchers.

The purchase of gift items for his family entitled Mr. Lewis to receive raffle coupons to enter this week’s Dubai Summer Surprise draw. Mr. Lewis, holder of coupon number 173158, is an Indian businessman based in Umm Al Quwain.

The Dubai Duty Free Summer Surprise promotion runs until 7th August, with the final draw taking place on 8th August (Sunday). To enter, shoppers simply need to purchase goods worth AED 500 or more from any Dubai Duty Free shops in Dubai International. Each AED 500 spent will give customers one coupon, entitling them to a chance to win the weekly prize of AED 25,000 worth of shopping vouchers. MasterCard holders double their chances of winning.

Today’s draw was conducted by Sinead El Sibai, Manager – Events, Advertising & Media Relations and Bernard Creed, Financial Controller, Dubai Duty Free.