You Are Virtually Invited: The Jumpitz Jump In And Discover The Virtual World!

The Jumpitz, an emerging leader in socially conscious global entertainment for children 2 and up, today announced their first ever FREE virtual concert series in conjunction with SecretBuilders, an emerging leader in educational interactivity. Airing Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 19th-21st at www.secretbuilders.com, The Jumpitz FREE virtual concerts will go live at 8am, 3pm and 11:59pm PST. Live action meets virtual reality as fan favorites Emily, Jake, Josh, Mari, ‘Jump In and Discover the World’ of SecretBuilders.

“We are delighted to host the Jumpitz on SecretBuilders in a one-of-a-kind live action concert in a children’s virtual world,” says Umair Khan, CEO of SecretBuilders. “The Jumpitz philosophy of encouraging children to jump in and discover their world is complementary to our mission of getting kids to explore literature, art, and the humanities in a fun, engaging virtual world.”

“This free concert series launches our progressive partnership with SecretBuilders,” says Laurie Jabbar, CEO of The Jumpitz. “By integrating the Jumpitz live action content and characters with the SecretBuilders virtual and interactive world, we provide our Jumpitz fans and their older siblings a trusted, creative and fun approach for kids to learn about humanities, arts, literature and the world around them. In addition, we also hope to draw in some of the younger SecretBuilders fans and siblings, and give them a chance to discover the world of The Jumpitz.”

“We are pleased to be part of this new form of entertainment,” says Adrian Wood, General Manager, Tech Access Media Solutions. “It also shows our commitment to bring new forms of content and content partners to the MENA region.”

The live action virtual reality includes an incredible array of characters and avatars that lends an action packed, educational and fun experience for viewers. Watch Shakespeare welcome The Jumpitz to the world of SecretBuilders, and engage in live chats with some of the cast following the concerts. Children can engage in scripted conversations with The Jumpitz avatars throughout the shows, giving them a chance to ‘speak’ to their favorite characters. Please visit www.Jumpitz.com to learn more about this special event and find out how to attend.

The Address Hotels + Resorts strengthens sales presence in key feeder markets

The Address Hotels + Resorts, the five star premium hotel brand owned and operated by Emaar Hospitality Group, has strengthened its sales presence in key feeder markets in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. The company has appointed Nijhawan Group as its official sales representative office in India and Mr Wael Naba, a hospitality sales and marketing professional in Saudi Arabia.The exclusive representations are aimed at strengthening the marketing initiatives of The Address Hotels + Resorts, which already operates two prestigious properties in Dubai, The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, the flagship hotel of the brand, and The Palace – The Old Town.
 
Mr Marc Dardenne, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Hospitality Group and Emaar Hotels & Resorts, said: “The Address Hotels + Resorts has consolidated its reputation as an award-winning premier hotel brand. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the Indian Subcontinent are among our strongest feeder markets apart from Europe and Southeast Asia. Through our exclusive marketing partnerships in Saudi Arabia and India, we are further strengthening our customer outreach.”
 
He added: “Dubai’s tourism profile represents a high proportion of visitors from the Gulf region, particularly Saudi Arabia, and India. The marketing partnerships will help to reach out to these key markets and enable potential guests to evaluate the differentials offered by our brand. Both the Nijhawan Group and Mr Wael Naba have years of expertise in the hospitality sector and will further establish our brand in India and Saudi Arabia, respectively.”
 
Marketing activities to be undertaken by the new representatives include tradeshow management, roadshows and promotions. Sales and marketing initiatives will be drawn out and implemented to ensure achievement of revenue goals by tapping into relevant market segments within the countries.
 
With 34 years of experience in India, Nijhawan Group is a leader in the travel sector and boasts more than ten offices in different regions of the country including Delhi, Bangalore, Jaipur, Mumbai and Punjab among other important cities. The Group will focus on designing sales and marketing strategies to keep positioning The Address Hotels + Resorts as a luxury destination for business and leisure travellers within India.
 
The Address Downtown Burj Dubai – in close proximity to The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination – offers 196 guestrooms including 25 suites, and 626 serviced residences. The Palace – The Old Town, with 242 luxurious guestrooms including 81 suites, is an upmarket five star property managed by The Address Hotels + Resorts, also located in Downtown Burj Dubai.
 
Two additional hotels are scheduled to open later this year as part of the expansion plans of The Address Hotels + Resorts. The Address Dubai Mall is nearing completion and will offer 245 signature rooms, 450 serviced apartments and modern lifestyle amenities. The Address Dubai Marina, with 200 guestrooms and 442 serviced residences, is part of the Dubai Marina Mall complex, located centrally in the one of the most sought-after waterfront projects in the region.

High-Level French Delegation Meets With Jafza Officials

A high-level French delegation, comprising senior officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Northern French region of Nord Pas de Calais, recently met with senior officials from Jafza to discuss the investment opportunities in the free zone and to increase the scope of cooperation between the two sides.

The delegation accompanied by the Consul General of France in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, HE Nada Yafi met with Chief Operating Officer of Jafza, Pat McGillycuddy, and Chief Commercial Officer, Ibrahim Al Janahi. The visiting officials were taken on an extensive tour of the Free Zone’s various award-winning facilities.

Talks between the delegation and Jafza representatives focused on investment opportunities, facilities and services offered by Jafza to help companies serve the Middle East markets efficiently.

Welcoming the delegation, Mr. Ibrahim Al Janahi said: “Nord Pas de Calais is a well-known industrial region in France and many companies are looking to expand their operations to overseas destinations. We are very keen to forge more long-term sustainable partnerships with companies based there. France and Dubai have both witnessed growing bilateral trade over the decades. Jafza’s trade with France in 2008 stood at USD 898 million and we expect this figure to grow in future."

Mr. Al Janahi also disclosed that more than 100 French companies are at present based in Jafza including several top notch names such as Total, Schlumberger, Renault, Christian Dior among others, in different commercial, industrial and service sectors. The number of French companies in the Free Zone has grown almost four-fold since the turn of the millennium.

"Jafza has emerged as an important profit centre for these companies, serving key markets in the MENA region, Indian subcontinent and other emerging economies in West Asia. Over the years we have continued to generate significant interest from French companies eager to set up base here. This visit has underscored the opportunities for further trade between France and the countries in the region, which is why the Chamber of Commerce will host a business seminar on Dubai for French companies looking to trade from this region later this year."

Mr. Pat McGillycuddy also briefed the visiting delegation on various Economic Zones World (EZW) projects in France that are being developed and executed by Gazeley, its specialised sustainable industrial and logistics infrastructure solution provider. EZW is the parent company of Jafza, Gazeley, TechnoPark and DAZ. It is currently engaged in more than 30 economic zones and logistics park projects worldwide

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum To Open 9th Airport Show

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, will open the 9th Airport Show, which begins tomorrow at the Dubai Airport Expo.The 2009 event which takes place from 19 to 21 May is expected to fare strongly, thanks largely to robust airport expansion and creation across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.210 exhibitors including Thales, Raytheon, Selex Sistemi Integrati, Siemens, Honeywell, Crisplant and Cavotec will join leading UAE exhibitors including Dubai Airports, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Dubai Airport Freezone, Bond Communications, Bayanat Airports Engineering & Supplies, Pacific Controls, Excel and Emirates National Factory for Plastic Industries, among other exhibitors, over a gross exhibit space of 10,500 sq.m. at the central and west halls of the Dubai Airport Expo. National pavilions from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy, have confirmed their participation at the Airport Show.The event has pre-registered 1,620 visitors and confirmed participation from more than 60 countries, including 43 airport officials from 19 airports, from Tunisia to China. More than AED 500 million in procurement contracts will be on offer at the event.“We have every reason to expect a very strong turnout for the 9th Airport Show, and are confident that the show will convey the message that Dubai and the broader MENA region continues to lead in business,” said Frederic Theux, Reed Exhibitions.Reed has implemented a series of programmes to streamline the procurement process for exhibitors and visitors, including a ‘Hosted Buyer’ programme that brings senior management officials from airports in the region.Priority projects for airport managers include construction of terminals, cargo and aircraft hangars, taxiways, electric substations, air traffic control towers, and services from baggage handling to X-ray, information and security systems, besides, operation of aircraft dismantling facilities.Project owners from the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah airports, Pakistan’s Sialkot Airport, Iran’s Qeshm International Airport, India’s Durgapur, Ludhiana and Maharashtra airports, as well as airport authorities from Tunisia, Djibouti, Algeria, Bahrain, China, Kuwait and Bangladesh, will participate in the show.Also, officials in charge of the AED 14.68 billion ($4 billion) enhancement of the King Abdul Aziz Airport, and the redevelopment at the Hurghada (AED 3 billion) and Cairo Airport (AED 2.3 billion) airports in Egypt will be present. In total, the Airport Show has confirmed the attendance of project owners representing nearly AED 25 billion ($6.8 billion) in airport project development.The ‘Future Airports’ conference will be held concurrently with the Airport Show, from May 19 to 20, 2009, with the implementation of major new airport developments in the Middle East, North Africa and India (MENAI), topping the agenda at the two-day forum.Among the confirmed speakers at the ‘Future Airports’ conference are Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports; Rudy Vercelli, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC); Mustafa Sani Sener, President and CEO, TAV Airport Holdings; Jean-Marie Chevallier, Chairman and CEO, Aéroports de Paris Management; and Jihad Boueri, Regional Director, Applications Services, Middle East & Turkey, SITA.The 9th Airport Show is supported by leading aviation authorities and trade bodies including Dubai Airports, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, German Airport Technology & Equipment (GATE), Danish Airport Group, British Aviation Group (BAG), British Airport Services & Equipment Association (BASEA), and UBIFRANCE (the French Agency for International Business Development).
 

Dubai School Of Government Signs MoU With Young Presidents’ Organization

The Dubai School of Government, a research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the Arab world, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) for collaboration on strategic knowledge- sharing initiatives.

Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government, signed the agreement with Waleed Al-Banawi, Incoming Regional Chairman of YPO for Middle East and North Africa.

YPO is a global network of young chief executives that connects 17,000 peers and their families in 100 countries to learn, exchange ideas and address the challenges leaders face today. YPO boasts over 500 members in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Under the agreement, the two entities will work strategically towards sharing mutual resources and networks of contacts, in addition to exploring partnership opportunities for launching joint initiatives and programs in the region.

DSG will specifically contribute to the development and delivery of leadership and public policy programs for YPO members and YPO graduates, who will also gain access to DSG’s faculty for its conferences and seminars in the region. Executive education programs will also be developed by the Dubai School of Government for the members and member organizations of YPO. DSG’s core offerings will be communicated to YPO members and graduates worldwide.

Dr. Tarik Yousef of the Dubai School of Government said: “We are proud to be associated with Young Presidents’ Organization, which is an extremely credible and well-established organization of leaders in the community. Today more than ever, there is a need to network, share resources, knowledge and insights. In challenging times, what we need is perseverance, insights into the complex problems that face us, and networks that help us survive and prosper. We have found YPO to be such a partner, and we look forward to the association that has its foundation in a shared vision of achieving excellence through constant innovation.”

Waleed Al-Banawi, Incoming Regional Chairman of YPO MENA said: “We attach great value to this partnership with DSG for its potential in developing new programs and best practices for our members in MENA. The Dubai School of Government has, within a short period, demonstrated its dedication and pioneering spirit by attracting the brightest minds from across the world. We are a rapidly growing organization with a strong membership base in the region and around the world. With this partnership in place, we are confident of creating more value for our YPO members and graduates in the region, within the organization’s mission of Better Leaders Through Education and Idea ExchangeTM.”

While Rafi Demirjian, YPO MENA Regional Education Chairman said: “It is hard not to notice the great strategic fit in our partnership with DSG given that education is the cornerstone of YPO. Education and idea exchange are the ultimate drivers of progress in any society and we strongly believe that the interaction of our members with the faculty and visiting resources of DSG will have a synergistic effect not only on our respective organizations but on our communities at large."

Established in 2005 in cooperation with the Harvard Kennedy School, the Dubai School of Government is committed to the creation of knowledge, dissemination of global best practices and the training of policy makers in the Arab world. The school is focused on capacity building and conducts various programs that seek to promote good governance through enhancing the region’s capacity for effective public policy. (note: you don’t need this paragraph because you have the DSG boilerplate below)

For more details, visit www.dsg.ae or call 04-329 3290. 

Excitement Mounts As Lazio And Sampdoria Line Up For The Upcoming Copa Italia Title

The 2009 Copa Italia Title is poised at an interesting stage as the live final match hits the screens of football enthusiasts on 13th May 2009. Live coverage of the matches will be broadcast on ART SPORT 4 available to Firstnet Premium and Pehla Gold & Silver subscribers in Dubai and the entire Middle East and North African (MENA) region.

With the final match underway football enthusiasts can gear up to watch the two major teams Lazio and Sampdoria square off for the 2009 Copa Italia title. The match will be telecast live on May 13 2009 at 5.00 GMT (9 AM UAE time), according to an announcement today by Arab Digital Distribution (ADD), the region’s largest pay TV platform Management Company.

This year’s game saw strong teams like Juventus, Inter Milan & AC Milan’s exit quiet unexpectedly. Lazio reached the final of the Copa Italia after beating Juventus 2-1 in Turin for a 4-2 aggregate win in the semi-finals. Sampdoria saw a strong comeback to the finals despite losing the second leg 1-0. Intermilan, stung by a 3-0 defeat in the first leg, gave themselves hope when Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck midway through the first half but Sampdoria held on to clinch a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the final against Lazio. Lazio are still in the 10th place with 47 points from 35 games played and with Europa League qualification six points away whereas Samprodia have climbed up to 12th place with 44 points from 35 games played.

The sixty-first season of the tournament started on 9 August 2008 and will end on 13 May 2009. The winners earn a spot in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League 2009–2010.

The 2007–08 Copa Italia final was played, like the three previous editions, between Internationale and Roma. The match was held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on May 24, 2008 and ended with a 2-1 win for Roma. This time around the two teams Lazio and Sampdoria are extremely enthusiastic to go out onto the field and play their final round as Lazio has been winless in 5 years (last winning the Copa Italia in 2004), while Sampdoria haven’t lifted a trophy in 15 years (last winning the Copa Italia in 1994).
 

KKR Granted License To Operate From The Dubai International Financial Centre

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (“KKR”), a leading global alternative asset manager, today announced that KKR MENA Limited has been granted a license by the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Abdulla Al Awar, Managing Director of the DIFC Authority, pointed out that: “The MENA region, and especially the Arabian Gulf, has been relatively less impacted by the ongoing global financial crisis than North America, Europe or Asia. The Gulf has been particularly well-cushioned by the windfall revenues from the high oil prices witnessed during most of 2008. This surplus income has been earmarked for continued investments in infrastructure projects to upgrade existing ones and build new capacities.

“Concurrently, our region is also witnessing a deepening of the financial markets and private equity is not only abundant here, but is fairly active. We are pleased to note that a globally respected firm such as KKR has chosen Dubai as their base to operate across the MENA region. We wish them the very best and offer all support for their continued success as we welcome them to the DIFC,” Al Awar said.

Led by Makram Azar, Managing Director and Head of Middle East and North Africa, KKR MENA is a newly formed subsidiary of KKR, especially created to do business from the DIFC. Its area of operations will cover the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. KKR MENA Limited will pursue private equity and infrastructure transactions in the MENA region and engage in the distribution of various KKR products.

Mr. Azar said: “We are delighted to officially launch KKR’s office in the DIFC and our operations in the rapidly developing Middle East and North Africa region. There are a wide variety of attractive opportunities in these markets and our professionals here look forward to capitalizing on KKR’s global resources to build an exceptional franchise.”

HSBC Amanah Appoints New regional Head for the MENA region

HSBC Amanah, the global Islamic financial services arm of the HSBC group, today announced the appointment of Khaled Rasheed as regional head of HSBC Amanah, Middle East & North Africa with immediate effect.

In his new role, Khaled will coordinate HSBC Amanah’s core Islamic banking competencies in the Middle East, including personal financial services, commercial banking and private banking. He will also develop closer ties with clients and oversee HSBC Amanah’s expansion in the region.

Nabeel Shoaib, Global Head of HSBC Amanah said: ’Khaled combines an extensive knowledge of the MENA region with an in-depth know-how in Islamic banking, which will add real value to our business. I am sure that Khaled will contribute to strengthening HSBC Amanah’s position as a global leader in Islamic finance”

“Khaled’s appointment is also further testimony to HSBC Amanah’s commitment to developing local talents to assume senior regional and global roles,’ added Nabeel.

Khaleed Rasheed has been with HSBC Bank Middle East since 1996. Most recently, he was senior manager Deira Branch. Prior to that, he held various senior positions in
Personal Financial Services, Regional Training and Regional Call Centre. He also served as Abu Dhabi Branch manager.

Dubai Internet City Hosts Google Executives On Middle East Tour

Dubai Internet City, the region’s leading managed ICT cluster and a member of TECOM Investments, recently hosted a number of Google executives visiting the region to address ways they can improve users access to information through facilitating the growth of Arabic content online.

In line with its commitment to expand the Arabic content available on the internet, Dubai Internet City is keen to work with companies like Google to help achieve this objective. Latest figures by the World Bank indicate there are more than 320 million Arabic speakers worldwide, while less than one per cent of all online content is in Arabic.

At the one day event hosted by Dubai Internet City at the ICT free zone, Google met with a select group of 60 business executives to explore potential opportunities in the region as well share knowledge and learnings from the local industry. The online search engine firm aims to help users access information in Arabic while hosting training for entrepreneurs and developers to enhance the web.

The event keynoted by Gisel Hiscock, Google’s Director for New Business Development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, witnessed the participation of four other senior Google executives and a high profile audience of industry representatives from the education, media and government sectors.

Malek Al Malek, Executive Director, Dubai Internet City, said: “Dubai is successfully attracting entrepreneurs keen to be at the forefront of developing new technologies in the region. The number of internet users in the Middle East has jumped from 3.2 million users in 2000 to 41.9 million in 2008, according to the Internet World Statistics report.

“While the UAE takes the lead in Arab countries with an Internet penetration of 55 per cent, there are clearly opportunities for further development in the region’s IT sector. We believe Google initiatives in the UAE and MENA will undoubtedly help stimulate Dubai’s knowledge-based economy and result in strong future partnerships that will significantly contribute to the industry’s growth in the region.”

The Google team also met with a series of partners to assess the talent and technology available across the region including Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar.

Google has experience across the globe bringing added value in its expertise to the region. The current focus is on facilitating the growth of online Arabic content to accommodate the increasing number of internet users searching for information in the language

The event was part of Dubai Internet City’s initiative to fruitfully engage the industry pioneers with the region’s technology professionals and entrepreneurs. In December 2008, Dubai Internet City successfully hosted the region’s first Google webmaster event in Dubai, facilitating greater understanding of the search engine technology while highlighting ways for web publishers to maximize their online visibility. The ICT cluster aims to further intensify cooperation with the world’s leading search engine provider to spur the growth of the industry in the MENA region.